安全套生產商杜蕾絲本周二公布的2008年全球性觀報告顯示，中國人發生初次性行為的平均年齡為22.1歲。
全球平均年齡為17歲。
上海計畫生育研究所的高爾升教授說，儘管中國婚前性行為的發生率不斷上升，但初次性行為的平均年齡與結婚年齡仍然差不多。
他說：“在城市地區，人們初次性行為的年齡可能低於22歲。”
杜蕾絲公司對26個國家的2萬6千多人進行了調查，結果發現，從去年開始，初次性行為的全球平均年齡已從16歲上升至17歲以上。
調查發現，中國、新加坡和馬來西亞等亞洲國家的大多數受訪者稱他們的初次性經歷比西方同齡人晚，但同時，他們的心理準備也更加充分。
另外，調查報告顯示，81.5%的受訪者採取了避孕措施。中國在這方面名列前三。
調查發現，女性及文化程度較高的人避孕意識更強。
然而，高教授認為，青少年發生初次性行為時使用安全套或採取其它避孕措施的人不到一半。
他在接受《中國日報》的採訪時說：“據以前的一些全國性調查，僅有四分之一的人在初次婚前性行為時使用了安全套。”
高教授說，近些年來，社會越來越重視提高人們對愛滋病等性傳播疾病的預防意識。在這一趨勢的推動下，城鎮地區安全套的使用越來越廣泛，但農村地區還沒有明顯改觀。
高教授說：“很多青少年相信他們的性伴侶不會有性疾病。而且他們認為墮胎也不是件難事--‘無痛人流’的廣告到處都是。”
但據他介紹，在性工作者等“高危人群”中，安全套的使用卻有大幅上升。
杜蕾絲今年所做的一項與性生活質量有關的調查中，僅有42%的中國人對他們的性生活十分滿意。女性的滿意度相對較低。
據調查報告，中國人的年平均性生活次數高於全球平均水平，為122次。
chinese have sex for the first time at an average age of 22.1 years, according to the 2008 face of global sex report published on tuesday by condom manufacturer durex.
the global average age is 17.
professor gao ersheng from the shanghai family planning institute said the mean age was about the same as that at which people in china get married, although incidents of premarital sex were on the rise.
"in urban china, the age at which people have their first sex is probably lower than 22," he said.
the durex report surveyed more than 26,000 people from 26 countries and found the global average age for first-time sex had risen from under 16 to over 17 since last year.
the report found that while most respondents from asian countries such as china, singapore and malaysia said they had their first sexual experience later than their peers in the west, they also said they were better prepared psychologically.
the report also showed that 81.5 percent of those polled had used a form of birth control. china ranked in the top 3 in this regard.
women were found to be more likely to take precautions, as too were people with a higher educational background.
however, gao said he believed no more than half of china's youth used condoms or other precautions during first-time sex.
"according to earlier national surveys, only a quarter of those having premarital sex for the first time used a condom," he told china daily.
in recent years, there has been more attention paid to raising people's awareness of sexually transmitted diseases such as aids, gao said. this has led to the more widespread use of condoms in urban china, but there has been no obvious rise in rural areas.
"many youngsters believe their sex partners won't have an std," gao said, "and abortion seems easy - you hear commercials for 'painless abortions' quite often."
but among china's high-risk groups, such as sex workers, the use of condoms has increased greatly, gao said.
in another survey on sexual well-being by durex this year, just 42 percent of chinese people said they were completely satisfied with their sex life. the satisfaction rate is lower among women.
according to the report, chinese have sex an average of 122 times a year - higher than the global average.