Hong Kong youth traditional about sex

Hong Kong (dpa) - Hong Kong has a reputation as one of Asia's raciest and most cosmopolitan cities, but when it comes to sex, its young people are surprisingly traditional, according to a survey released Monday.

Nearly 50 per cent of university and college students said they thought premarital sex was unacceptable while 30 per cent said they would be unhappy if the man or woman they married was not a virgin, according to the survey conducted by the Christian group the Hong Kong Sex Culture Society.

Asked what form of contact was appropriate for boyfriends and girlfriends before marriage, 411 of the 943 students polled said kissing. Only 27 per said they thought sex was appropriate.

Seventy per cent of the young people questioned said they believed in lifelong unions and that people should look for partners who they would remain with for life. The results demonstrated how traditional beliefs about marriage and morality still largely hold sway in the city of 6.8 million.

Because of the city's size, most college and university students in Hong Kong live at home rather than on campus. Young people usually carry on living with their parents until, and sometimes after, they marry.