January 22, 2013 | Health Matters

In app survey, nearly 50% of men say they bareback

A recent study by New York's non-profit Community Healthcare Network (CHN) found that 47 percent of respondents had unprotected sex "always, often or sometimes." The survey was conducted with men who use mobile apps to hook-up and included men "from Australia, South America, Eastern Europe, the UK, Canada, and mostly the US."

The study also found that: "81 percent of respondents know HIV is transmitted through 'unprotected anal sex, vaginal sex and, less frequently, oral sex'" and "about 68 percent are afraid to be infected or re-infected and believe people should be more concerned about the [HIV] epidemic."

The number one reason for not using protection, according to 85 percent of the men, is that condoms "don’t feel good." The second most common reason was that the men got caught up in the moment and were willing to take the risk in order to have sex.

The survey, being limited to voluntary respondents using hookup aps,  does not answer whether these numbers reflect the general gay population, or if there are higher incidences of HIV and STDs among men who meet up this way. It also did not specify with whom the men were barebacking; were they part of a monogamous couple at the time, and did they know their partner's HIV status?

Still, the study should open people's eyes. The chance that your next encounter could be with someone who has had unprotected sex is probably higher than you might expect.

Study: 47% of gay and bisexual men admit to bareback sex []