Virgins at age 26: who are they?

Abstract

Background Studies on virgins remain scarce. This study explores the characteristics of virgin young adults, the reasons for remaining virgin, and its potential social and health implications. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2017 Swiss study on sexual health and behaviour among young adults. A total of 5175 participants (mean age 26 years ± 0.01) were divided into virgins and non-virgins. Virginity was defined as never having had a sexual partner, defined as a person with whom the participant has had sexual contact with or without penetration. Results: A total of 275 (5.3% (95% CI: 4.7–6.0), 58% males) were virgins. Virgins had higher odds of being male (aOR: 2.27 (95% CI: 1.62–3.17)) and reporting poorer health (1.43 (1.07–1.92)). They had lower odds of living on their own (0.24 (0.18–0.32)), being satisfied with their social life (0.78 (0.72–0.85)), having experimented with substances (e.g. drunkenness, 0.27 (0.19–0.67)) and having used online dating (0.52 (0.26–1.12)) or pornography (0.67 (0.42–0.94)). The main reason for remaining virgin was ‘I have not found the right person’ for females, and ‘I have not had the occasion’ for males. Conclusions: Among young adults, 1 in 20 is a virgin. Virgins do not seem to have gone through the usual experimentations of adolescence, are less socially driven and reported more health challenges. The main reason for remaining a virgin reveals gender-stereotyped responses. Sexual inactivity among young adults should be considered by health professionals to ensure the absence of distress and open discussion for potential questions.