Feature

The Single Files

AIDS and other STDs may have forced many New Yorkers to limit their number of partners (12 percent of our sample admitted that fear of disease caused them to stop having sex altogether), but a small group of energetic singles seems intent on keeping up the average: Two percent of those surveyed claimed to have sex more than 30 times a month, and 4 percent claimed they’ve had more than 100 sexual partners in their lives. Among these frequent flyers, men outnumber women by four to one.

Overall, men are also more likely to engage in unorthodox sex practices than women. Twenty-one percent of single men and 4 percent of single women have had sex with a prostitute. Sixteen percent of men and 7 percent of women have called a phone-sex line, and 19 percent of men have had group sex.

Love Hurts (And Burns)

Among the most alarming findings in the survey is that 11 percent of our respondents acknowledged having had a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Given that people are famously unwilling to acknowledge venereal disease and that many STDs go undetected, the actual number is likely to be considerably higher.

Not surprisingly, more older men and women reported having had an STD than younger men and women. Twenty percent of men in their thirties and 11 percent of women in their thirties said they’ve had an STD. By contrast, 8 percent of 21-to-29-year-old men and 9 percent of 21-to-29-year-old women admitted to having had an STD.

Gonorrhea and chlamydia, taken together, account for 49 percent of all the STDs infecting New Yorkers. For younger women, chlamydia is the most commonly contracted STD; for older men, it’s gonorrhea.

Among New Yorkers who have had an STD, 19 percent have had chlamydia, 30 percent have had gonorrhea, and 6 percent have HIV or aids.

Part of the reason for these high infection rates may be the failure of many New Yorkers to regularly use protection. Twenty-seven percent of respondents admitted to never using condoms. Three quarters of all respondents indicated that they have had sex without one at least once in the past year.

The bottom line: If you’re having sex in New York, there’s at least a one in ten chance your partner has had an STD. If your sexual partner is a 30-to-40-year-old man, there’s a one in five chance.

Abortion

For New York women, abortion is an everyday reality: 29 percent have had one, and the percentage among poorer women is considerably higher. Thirty-four percent of women earning under $35,000 have had an abortion, compared with 22 percent of women earning more than that. Forty-five percent of single black women surveyed reported having had an abortion, compared with 22 percent of white respondents.

The borough with the highest number of abortions among single women is Manhattan; Queens has the lowest number.

The Methodology

The sample used in this survey was selected randomly and represents the demographic mix of New York City singles. Our sample consisted of more than 1,000 individuals between the ages of 21 and 40 who said they were not involved in a serious relationship. All five boroughs were proportionally represented. Telephone interviewing guaranteed respondents anonymity in answering a detailed battery of questions.

When it came time to analyze results, respondents were grouped by gender, race, age, sexual orientation, and income. Our sample consisted of 51 percent men and 49 percent women. Men aged 21 to 29 made up 27 percent of the total sample; men 30 to 40, 21 percent. Women 21 to 29 made up 28 percent of the total sample; women 30 to 40, 18 percent. Blacks constituted 26 percent of the whole, whites 39 percent, Latinos 16 percent, and Asians 7 percent. Gay men and women were 8 percent of the sample, self-described bisexuals 3 percent.