Almost half of sexually active young people surveyed in the North first had intercourse when they were between 10 and 15, preliminary results of the first study of the sex lives and attitudes of Northern Ireland youths suggest.
More than a quarter believed they first had sex too early and more than a third used no condom.
Ongoing research involving 14- to 25-year-olds, entitled "Towards Better Sexual Health", is being carried out by the University of Ulster at Jordanstown and the Family Planning Authority. The three year project, which began in January 2000, is funded by the National Lotteries Charities Board.
Half the 1,000 responses have been processed so far, and research officer Mr Dirk Schubotz says the rest of the questionnaires are consistent with existing results.
Of those who have had sex (just over two-thirds of respondents to date), 46 per cent first had intercourse before the age of 15. Most said they first had sex "on the spur of the moment". Nine per cent of girls said they felt they should have sex and 2.5 per cent said they had sex against their wishes.
Condoms were not used by more than 40 per cent of those who had sex before their 16th birthday, compared to almost 23 per cent who had intercourse for the first time after that date.
Young Northern people are not particularly romantic, according to the survey. Less than a third of girls and young women gave "being in love" as the main reason they first had sex. The figure for males was lower, at 10.5 per cent.
Homosexual relationships were described as wrong by over half of young men, compared to just over a third of young women. Intolerance towards lesbians and gay men decreased with age.
The survey suggested heavy drinking is widespread among young people in the North, while drug use is not so common. Just over a quarter of females and almost a third of males said they were drunk the first time they had sex.
In the under-16 group, more than 94 per cent have tried alcohol and nearly 40 per cent of them drink at least once a week.
Responding to questions on drug-taking, 17 per cent of males and 12 per cent of females said they regularly took drugs. Cannabis was the most popular choice, with ecstasy in second place. Other drugs mentioned included acid and speed, as well as products such as Tippex.
Attitudes to one-night stands revealed the most significant difference between the sexes. More than half of young men said one-night stands were never or rarely wrong. Less than a third of young women agreed.
Pornographic material had been seen by almost 83 per cent of all young men surveyed. In the under-16 group, almost 60 per cent of respondents of both sexes had seen pornographic magazines and videos.
Females were more likely than males to say access to pornography should be restricted, with almost 14 per cent saying it should be banned altogether.
The majority of young people found it easy to get contraceptives. However, nearly a quarter of under-16s said they experienced difficulty or faced disapproval, particularly from GPs.
Most young men had never used family-planning services. Instead they bought condoms in shops or from dispensers in the toilets of bars and night-clubs.
