Why condom use in the UK has reached an all-time low

Condom use in the UK has reached worrying lows, according to a new study released to mark Sexual Health Awareness Week (9-15 September).

We are constantly reminded of the importance of using protection during sex. Condoms are an important tool for preventing unwanted pregnancies and reducing the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). But new research has found that Brits prefer to avoid condoms.

Durex's Global Sex Survey 2024, which surveyed 29,500 people in 36 countries between January and April 2024, found that only 15% of respondents bought condoms in the past year – almost half the global average (28%).

Of the 36 countries surveyed, the UK ranked only 33rd in terms of condom purchases in the last 12 months.

Even when condoms are purchased in the UK, they are not always used. A special survey of 2,000 sexually active adults conducted in the UK found that of those who still buy condoms, only 11% said they always use them.

Condom use in Europe

The statistics confirm further findings from the Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO), according to which condom use among sexually active adolescents has declined significantly since 2014.

The data was published as part of the multi-part Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, which surveyed more than 242,000 15-year-olds in 42 countries and regions between 2014 and 2022. They found that the proportion of sexually active adolescents who used a condom during their last sexual intercourse fell from 70% to 61% for boys and from 63% to 57% for girls between 2014 and 2022.

Worryingly, the decline in condom use coincides with a rise in sexually transmitted diseases. According to a government study, the number of sexually transmitted infections in the UK increased by 4.7% between 2022 and 2023.

While chlamydia diagnoses remained stable at around 194,000 diagnoses per year during the same period, gonorrhea diagnoses increased by 7.5%, infectious syphilis diagnoses increased by 9.4% and cases of genital warts also increased.

Why has condom use declined?

Advances in sexual health care

Although it is not known exactly what is causing the decline in condom use, experts have some theories, including the fact that the UK has comparatively good sexual health services compared to certain other countries.

“There have been moves in the UK NHS in recent years to encourage women to have a long-acting, reversible contraceptive (LARC) such as the coil (IUD, also known as an 'intrauterine device') or intrauterine system (IUS, which also releases hormones), which can prevent unwanted pregnancies for three to ten years,” explains Alix Fox, sex expert and spokesperson for Durex.

“It's great for family planning, but it doesn't protect against the transmission of STIs at all.”

“Doxy by proxy”

Another problem is the belief that Doxy can be used by a “proxy attack,” that is, relying on taking an antibiotic such as doxycycline to treat any sexually transmitted diseases after unprotected sex, for example, rather than protecting against transmission by using a condom in the first place.

“While it's great that we have easy access to effective medications, with the number of antibiotic-resistant STIs on the rise, my advice is to avoid infection in the first place rather than catching an infection that may be harder to treat and cure than you ever imagined,” Fox says.

Of course, it is also much easier to get an STI diagnosed and treated when the NHS and other services offer discreet home tests.

Progress in HIV prevention and treatment

The further development of HIV prevention measures is another possible reason.

“We have excellent access to PrEP in the UK,” explains Fox. “It's a very effective drug that can be taken by HIV-negative people. It protects them from getting the virus if they are exposed to it (for example, through sex without a condom).”

While these medications have been instrumental in reducing HIV rates and are an important prevention tool, taking PrEP is also associated with a higher number of STI diagnoses.

“Because people are more relaxed about HIV today, some of them no longer use condoms and thereby expose themselves to other sexually transmitted diseases,” Fox adds.

Lack of awareness among the older generation

The need for greater condom distribution is not just an issue for teenagers and young people.

“Access to pharmaceutical products such as hormone replacement therapy, vaginal moisturizers and Viagra means it is much easier for people to have enjoyable and satisfying sex later in life,” explains Fox.

“Divorce has become cheaper, easier and more socially acceptable, so more people are dating and finding new sexual partners as they get older. However, many of these people are not using condoms.”

Fox says this is likely due to a combination of a lack of sex education at a young age, the false assumption that they don't need to use contraception at all because they won't have to worry about pregnancy after menopause, and, in some cases, the completely false assumption that sexually transmitted diseases “only happen to young people.”

Data from Public Health England shows that between 2017 and 2019, the largest proportional increase in gonorrhoea and chlamydia cases was among people over 65 years of age.

The Lust Myth

For many Brits, the decision to forgo condoms is a matter of pleasure. Around 16% of sexually active adults in the UK told Durex that they were put off from buying condoms because they felt they lacked sensitivity when having sex with condoms.

In addition, 13% of Britons said that condoms spoil the mood and 14% reject condoms because they believe that putting one on would not allow for spontaneity.

“A major reason people don't use condoms is because of outdated, old-fashioned ideas about how thick condoms are and that they can dull, smother and impair a partner's sensitivity during sex,” Fox explains.

“But the truth is that modern manufacturing methods and material technologies now make it possible to produce condoms that are exceptionally fine and specifically designed to maximize pleasure and sensation without compromising on safety.”

Addressing the challenges

The government recently presented a new sexual and reproductive health plan which identifies condom use as a key measure for achieving good sexual health and reproductive outcomes.

“At a time of rising STI rates, it is vital that we try to reverse this trend of declining condom use,” Lisa Hallgarten, head of policy and public affairs at Brook, tells Yahoo Life UK.

“In the short term, we really need to make sure that relationship and sex education, public health campaigns and the media work together to normalise and promote condom use. We need to make sure local authorities and sexual health services are sufficiently funded to provide free condoms to those who need them.

“The massive cuts to funding for sexual health at a time of increasing need were an appalling pseudo-austerity that has brought us to where we are today.”

Find STI testing and treatment services in the UK Hereand you can search for free condom services in England Here.

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