The Parent Gap:
Teen Pregnancy and Parental
Influence
A National Survey
September 2003
Introduction
Since our inception in 1996, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has
championed the power of parents. Common sense, two decades of research, and our
own interactions with teens over the years, makes clear that while parents clearly
cannot determine their children’s decisions about sex, the quality of their relationships
with their children can make a real difference.
In a continuing effort to measure the attitudes and beliefs of adults and teens toward
teen pregnancy and related issues, the National Campaign recently commissioned
International Communications Research, one of the largest independent and privatelyheld research companies in the United States, to conduct nationally-representative
surveys of adults (age 20 and over) and teens (aged 12-19). The new survey results
presented here focus specifically on what adults and teens had to say about parental
influence. Additional data from these two surveys will be released later in 2003.
The Parent Gap: Teen Pregnancy and Parental Influence provides good news for
parents as well as several cautionary findings:
§
When it comes to their decisions about sex, parents have not lost their children
to the influence of peers and popular culture. Teens say that parents influence
their decisions about sex more than anyone else. Nearly half (45%) say
parents are most influential – less than a third (31%) say friends are most
influential. For young teens (aged 12-14), parental influence is even greater.
Over half of young adolescents (53%) say parents most influence their
decisions about sex, while 24% cite friends as most influential.
§
For their part, however, many parents seem to be having a crisis of confidence
– adults continue to underestimate the influence they have over teens’
decisions about sex and overestimate the influence of others, such as their
teens’ friends and the media. Nearly half (48%) of adults says friends are
most influential, while only 32% believe that parents most influence their
children’s decisions about sex.
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§
Moreover, while the overwhelming majority of young people (88%) say it would be
much easier for teens to postpone sexual activity and avoid teen pregnancy if they
were able to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with their
parents, nearly one in four (23%) say they have never discussed sex,
contraception, or pregnancy with their parents. Parents might also be interested in
noting that the percentage of teens who believe it would be much easier for teens
to postpone sex and avoid teen pregnancy if they were able to have open, honest
conversations about these topics with their parents increased nearly 20% between
2002 and 2003 (from 69% in 2002 to 88% in 2003).
§
About one in five (19%) young adolescents say that in the past six months alone
they have been at a party with boys and girls where there were no adults in the
house.
§
Finally, parents may be surprised to learn that a clear majority (59%) of teens
consider their parents to be role models of healthy, responsible relationships.
The Parent Gap is the latest in a series of ongoing survey work conducted by the National
Campaign. Previous polling results can be found on the Campaign’s website at:
www.teenpregnancy.org/resources/data/polling.asp.
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Question #1
“When it comes to teens’/your decisions about sex, who is most
influential?”
Percentage of teens and adults who answered
32
Parents
Friends
4
Teachers and Sex Educators
3
Religious Leaders
The Media
4
Myself
45
48
31
6
7
11
Adults
Teens
3
Siblings
1
Somone Else
1
2
1
Don't Know/Refused
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
4
Question #1, continued
Percentage of teens who answered, by gender and age
47
Parents
44
31
Friends
32
4
Teachers and Sex Educators
7
8
Religious Leaders
6
3
The Media
Myself
Female Teens
6
3
Male Teens
2
Siblings 1 1
1
Somone Else
2
Don't Know/Refused
1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
41
Parents
53
36
Friends
24
4
Teachers and Sex Educators
9
7
Religious Leaders
5
The Media
3
Myself
7
Teens aged 15-19
5
Teens aged 12-14
Siblings 1 1
Somone Else
2
Don't Know/Refused
2
2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
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Question #2
“Do you agree or disagree with this statement: ‘It would be much
easier for teens to postpone sexual activity and avoid teen
pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest
conversations about these topics with their parents.’?”
Percentage of teens who answered
2003
12%
Agree
Disagree
88%
2002*
2%
Agree
29%
Disagree
69%
Don't
Know/Ref
used
*The national Campaign asked the same question of a nationally-representative
sample of young people aged 12-19 in 2002.
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Question #3
“The last time you discussed sex, birth control, or pregnancy with
your parents, who started the conversation?”
Percentage of teens who answered, by age.
26
Teens aged 15-19
Teens aged 12-14
17
You Did
Teens aged 12-19 (net)
23
52
Your Parents
Did
53
53
You Haven't
Had a
Conversation
About These
Topics With
0
20
28
23
20
40
60
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Question #4
“Among the following, when it comes to healthy, responsible
relationships, who is your role model?”
Percentage of teens who answered
Your Parents
59
Your Friend's Parents
4
12
Your Friends
Celebrities
2
Other Family Members
5
Sibling
3
Religious Leader
1
Myself
1
Someone Else
1
11
You Don't Have Any
1
Don't Know/Refused
0
20
40
60
80
8
Question #5
“In the past six months, have you been at a party with boys and
girls where there are no adults in the house?
Percentage of teens who answered yes, by age.
57%
42%
Teens aged 12-19
(net)
Teens aged 12-14
Teens aged 15-19
19%
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Methodology and Sample
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy’s survey, The Parents
Gap: Teen Pregnancy and Parental Influence, is based on two national surveys, one of
young people aged 12-19 and the other of adults age 20 and over. Of the adults
interviewed, 79 percent were parents. The survey was designed by the National
Campaign with assistance from International Communications Research (ICR).
The teen survey is weighted to provide a nationally representative
estimate of young people aged 12-19. Field work for this survey was conducted
between August 21 and September 10, 2003. Telephone interviews were conducted
by ICR with 1,000 young people. The sample for this study was drawn using using two
different methods. The first sample source used random Digit Dial (RDD). RDD
numbers are drawn from telephone households throughout the continental United
States. As a second sample source, a database of households with teenagers 12-19
year old was tapped. All interviews were conducted using the Computer Assisted
Telephone Interviewing (CATI) system. The CATI system ensures that all questions
were rotated and that when answer options were presented, they were also rotated.
This rotating eliminates “question position” bias. The margin of error for this survey is
+/- 3.10%.
The adults survey is also weighted to provide a nationally representative
estimate of the adult population, 20 years and older. Field work for this survey was
conducted between August 20-24. Telephone interviews were conducted by ICR with
1,008 adults. This survey was done as part of a national, twice-weekly telephone
omnibus survey using a fully-replicated, stratified, single-stage RDD sample of
telephone households. Sample telephone numbers are computer-generated. The
margin of error for this survey is +/- 3.09%.
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