7 in 10 HK undergrads are virgins: Survey

HONG KONG - A survey by University of Hong Kong's students' union has thrown up some interesting conclusions. The most interesting being that there are more virgins on campus than anybody thought.

The survey found that 70 per cent of the students are still virgins, and nearly half have never had a date, Hong Kong Standard reported.

The survey polled 630 students - 316 women and 314 men - last month. The results were published in the union's magazine Undergrad on Tuesday.

The survey showed that 73 per cent said they had no sexual experience. Most of these are women.

Only 17 per cent had sexual relations before being admitted to the university and 10 per cent said they had sex after starting university. Some had sex in university halls while others in other places on campus.

Never dated

A large percentage - 44 per cent - claimed they had never dated.

Asked if they had been to Lan Kwai Fong - famous for its bars and restaurants - 63 per cent said they have not visited the area while 22 per cent said they rarely visited it. Another 15 per cent go to the nightlife hot spot one to three times a month.

Despite the high percentage of students not into sex, 37 per cent said they would like to have condom vending machines on campus, 27 per cent disagreed with the idea, while 36 per cent had no opinion.

Second-year law student Raymond Ip said he is not surprised at the findings.

Based on his experience and interaction with other students, he agreed that there is a high percentage of students who have not had sex or even dated.

The reason why most of his classmates have not dated is because they are hardworking and focused on their studies. Mr Ip said he is also aware of some students living in student halls who had sex in their dorms.

Few students can afford a night out in Lan Kwai Fong because of the prices, he added.

Society for Truth and Light general secretary Choi Chi-sun said those who have not dated or had sex should not be labelled gay or too conservative. It is a personal choice to date or have sex.

The society is a pressure group with a mission to address social ethics, media behaviour and sex culture in Hong Kong from a Christian Right point of view.

A study published earlier this year in medical journal BMC Public Health found 41.5 per cent of 1,126 unmarried Hong Kong people aged 18 to 27 were reportedly having premarital sex.

About 64 per cent held liberal attitudes toward premarital sex and about half held liberal attitudes toward any form of sexual activity and premarital pregnancy.

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