Last year’s survey by WHO issued a distress signal showing that condom use among sexually active adolescents declined significantly, leading to worryingly high rates of unprotected sex and increased risk of sexually transmitted infections. Following these disturbing findings, Swedish powerhouse in sexual wellness LELO conducted a survey of its own about the condom use among different age groups (*).
A survey conducted with six thousand participants, ranging from GenX to GenZ, highlights a worrisome trend of decrease in the use of condoms.
LELO 2025 Condom Usage Survey Findings
When asked about their use of condoms during intercourse:
- 30% say they use them all the time and 17% use condoms most of the time – even with long standing partners.
- Though not as significant as the drop among 15-year-olds surveyed by the WHO, still 17% of all those participating in LELO survey say that their use of condoms decreased significantly in the last five years.
- At the same time, 15% of those participating claim their use of condoms increased significantly.
- Almost 40% say their use of condoms is the same as it has been before.
- Alarmingly, 8% say they have never used condoms.
Condom Usage Reasons
Among those who do use condoms, reasons for using them vary:
- The majority uses condoms to avoid contracting STDs (38%).
- Pregnancy is a big concern, and 34% use condoms to avoid getting pregnant.
- 6% confessed they use condoms because their partner(s) asked them to. Following this response, it is interesting to see how people would react if their partner suggested using a condom. Almost one third (32%) would be glad if their partner brought this, and a quarter would take this as a sign that their partner cares about their wellbeing. At the same time, 12% say this would be cause for concern and would question the partner’s sexual history, with almost 10% interpreting as though their own sexual history is being questioned.
Factors Contributing to This Decline
Reduced Perception of HIV Risk
Advancements in HIV prevention, such as PrEP, have, in some contexts, diminished the perceived necessity of consistent condom use, potentially overshadowing its importance for preventing other STIs – 6% think that AIDS is no longer the threat it was in the 1980s and 1990s.
Shifting Attitudes
Some young people report negative perceptions of condoms, believing they can detract from sexual pleasure. Most respondents say that having sex without using condoms just feels better (37%), while 16% think the time needed to put on a condom just breaks the flow and dampens the mood.
Socioeconomic Inequality
The survey notes a correlation between condom use and socioeconomic status, with 68% of those surveyed believing income, education level, access to healthcare leads to a lesser use of condoms or other contraception. Better education for all would combat the common fallacies – these being that almost 15% believe that having a few partners does not merit using a condom; while 14% find buying condoms embarrassing.
One in ten believe that having sex without condoms now and then is no big problem, while further 10% of those participating in the survey conclude that condoms break so often they are not worth using and/or condoms are too much trouble to use so they just opt not to use them at all.
Conclusion
Even though the overall decline is not as striking as is the case among teenagers , the consequences of this trend are grave. Refusing to use condoms bears a direct influence on the rising risk of STIs and contributes to higher healthcare costs. Focus on comprehensive sexuality education and public health campaigns, as well as access to both prophylaxis (condoms) and healthcare is needed to address this critical issue and protect the health and safety of people worldwide.
At the same time, condom manufacturers are doing their part, creating products that protect while not inhibiting the experience. Advances in condoms include new materials, like organically sourced latex, offering users no excuses by introducing increased effectiveness without compromising on pleasure.
*Survey conducted by Censuswide in July 2025 for LELO; 6003 respondents in the UK, USA, France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden
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