MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A majority of men (65%) say they'd be likely to take a hormone pill or injection as a means of birth control if they were in a committed, long-term relationship. What's more, 57% of men say they'd be likely to do the same if they were in a short-term relationship.
On the other hand, three in 10 men (29%) say that taking an oral or injectable male contraceptive would make them feel less masculine, while only 10% of women would perceive their partner that way. The proportion of young men (18-34) who say that they would feel less masculine if they took a male contraceptive jumps to 52% (versus 20% for men 35 years or older). Young men (18-34) are also twice as likely to be concerned that women would think less of them if they took male contraceptives (44% versus 21%, 35-54 years old).
Those are among the findings from a new Gustavus Adolphus College survey to gauge the U.S. public's attitudes toward new male hormonal contraception. The survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs in advance of the school's 53rd annual Nobel Conference, to be held Oct. 3-4 on Gustavus' St. Peter, Minn., campus. The theme of this year's conference: "Reproductive Technology: How Far Do We Go?"
One of the Gustavus survey findings actually could have potential widespread public health consequences. A majority of men and women agree that they would be less likely to continue using condoms if male contraceptives were introduced into the relationship (74% men and 69% women) – and this is especially true for younger men (83%, 18-34 years old).
"This means that our survey respondents appear to be more concerned about guarding against pregnancy than sexually transmitted diseases," stated Yurie Hong, Gustavus associate professor of Classics and chair of this year's Nobel conference.
"During our October conference, we'll explore the science and ethical implications of new reproductive technologies such as male contraceptive methods, genome editing and mitochondrial transfer," added professor Hong, "We undertook this survey to better understand both men's and women's attitudes toward managing reproduction. The results will enhance the rich discussions planned during our two-day agenda."
Other findings from the Gustavus study include:
About the Gustavus Nobel Conference
Reproductive technologies have long raised a host of scientific, social and ethical questions. The 53rd Nobel Conference, open to the public and held Oct. 3-4, 2017 at Gustavus, will bring together an interdisciplinary panel of scholars and scientists from around the world to address not only how far we can go, but how far we should go. For more information about the conference, visit https://gustavus.edu/events/nobelconference/2017/.
About Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minn., that prepares undergraduate students for lives of leadership, service, and lifelong learning. Gustavus was founded in 1862 and is the oldest Lutheran college in Minnesota. Fully accredited and known for its strong science, writing, music, athletics, study-abroad, and service-learning programs, Gustavus is internationally recognized for its annual Nobel Conference.
About the survey
These are the findings from an Ipsos Public Affairs poll conducted on behalf of Gustavus Adolphus College, conducted July 7-11, 2017. For the survey, a sample of 1,872 adults over the age of 18 from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii was interviewed online, in English. To qualify for the survey, respondents had to identify as being straight/heterosexual. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of ± 2.6 percentage points for all respondents surveyed.
SOURCE Gustavus Adolphus College