Contraceptives: Brits turn a blind eye to STIs

With Sexual Health Week now in full flow, new research from MINTEL can reveal that attitudes to sexual health are still alarmingly relaxed in Britain today. Indeed, just one in three adults (33%) say they always use a condom with a new partner, a time when it really is important to take precautions. Surprisingly, one in 10 Brits (11%) are still too embarrassed to buy condoms- a figure that is just as high amongst older adults as it is amongst Britain’s teenagers. The research also shows that 31% of adults don’t use a condom because they trust that their partner does not have a sexually transmitted infection (STI), while the same proportion (32%) simply don’t think they are at risk of catching an STI at all.