The finding debunks popular perceptions that it is because young people are drunk or feel pressurised.
The study, based on the work of the Leicestershire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership, questioned more than 600 14- to 16-year-olds and health practitioners about their behaviour and attitudes about sex. Fifty-one per cent reported having had no sexual experience, while 84 per cent of those who have had sex said being in a relationship was the main reason for choosing to do so.
It found that young people are by and large able to make positive choices about sex and view attempts to teach them about sexual health through digital me-dia, texts and cartoon-style literature as patronising.
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