Most Educated State About Sex

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Most educated State about sex

Sex is something a lot of people find difficult to talk about. It’s a sensitive topic that brings up feelings of shame, embarrassment, and even inadequacy.

One common cause is the way people were indoctrinated at such a young age to believe that sex is something that should never be discussed openly. It’s bad and not socially acceptable.

Considering that, 8 factors were carefully used to gauge the level of awareness about sex across the 50 states of the country. Vermont ranked first, followed by Maine and Iowa. Colorado ranked 4th while Montana is at the 5th slot.

Key Finding

After considering all the factors, the final ranking of the most educated and least educated states can be determined easily.

Here’s a quick glance at the results:

Results

Ranking	States	Total score	Had sex before 13	Did not use contraceptive methods in the last sexual intercourse	STD rate	Abortion rate	Underage abortion	Abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy	Having more than 3 abortions	Become a mom before 19
1	Vermont	10.88	2.22	0	0.69	3.49	0.13	2.25	2.09	0
2	Maine	13.24	2.5	0.42	1.15	2.6	0.21	3.1	3.18	0.08
3	Iowa	17.22	3.61	0.12	2.44	1.73	0.43	1.52	6.82	0.55
4	Colorado	18.44	2.5	2	2.92	3.32	0.92	3.27	2.55	0.97
5	Montana	19.99	5	0.55	2.45	2.42	0.15	3.55	5.73	0.15
6	Nebraska	20.2	1.11	4.61	2	1.45	0.15	2.99	7.55	0.35
7	Kansas	23.66	3.33	2.67	2.64	3.77	0.7	2.93	6.91	0.71
8	Kentucky	24.15	3.89	4.85	2.16	0.87	0.37	4	6.64	1.38
9	West Virginia	24.17	5.56	5.15	0	1.07	0.12	5.52	6.27	0.47
10	Virginia	24.9	3.06	4.97	2.81	3.08	1.62	1.1	6.82	1.45
11	Hawaii	25.02	3.06	6.3	3.12	3.7	0.26	4.76	3.64	0.18
12	South Dakota	25.58	6.11	4	2.83	0.62	0	4.68	7.18	0.16
13	Oklahoma	25.98	6.11	3.82	3.28	1.7	0.45	2.23	7	1.41
14	Nevada	26.34	1.94	4.79	3.51	5.22	0.74	2.51	7	0.63
15	Ohio	27.97	2.78	4	3.13	2.8	2.39	6.23	3.82	2.83
16	New Jersey	28.07	2.5	3.58	1.88	8.65	2.76	4.28	3.36	1.06
17	Arizona	28.61	1.67	6.48	3.48	2.73	1.5	3.92	7.09	1.74
18	Michigan	31.24	1.94	4.85	2.81	4.46	2.91	4.25	8.09	1.92
19	South Carolina	31.96	4.72	5.58	4.33	1.38	0.6	9.44	4.55	1.37
20	Alabama	32.3	7.5	4.42	3.5	1.76	0.81	6.25	6.45	1.59
21	Missouri	33.23	7.78	1.58	3.36	0.93	0.49	10	7.55	1.54
22	Alaska	35.02	6.67	6.12	5.76	2.53	0.12	3.72	10	0.1
23	Arkansas	36.12	7.22	9.45	3.54	1.45	0.36	5.49	7.45	1.14
24	North Carolina	36.56	3.33	7.45	4.08	4.6	2.8	3.86	7.91	2.51
25	New Mexico	37.46	7.5	6.06	4.29	3.6	0.68	4.79	9.91	0.63
26	Mississippi	38.61	10	8	4.92	1.04	0.24	4	9.27	1.13
27	New York	41.08	3.61	6	3.67	8.65	10	4.08	2.36	2.69
28	Texas	45.08	3.06	10	2.9	2.8	5.87	3.27	7.18	10

Methodology

As mentioned earlier, 8 factors were used to determine which states are more educated about sex and which states are the least informed.

To get standardized results, all of the factors have been given an even ranking between 0 and 10. A high index score suggests a high level of awareness concerning sex while a low index score suggests otherwise.

To determine the results, we used the following formula:

Note: Due to the limited data gathered, we were only able to rank 28 states.

Metrics

Below is a quick rundown of the 8 factors that were considered in this research. The data used were carefully sourced from published reports and studies.

Had Sex Before 13

The statutory age of consent between two heterosexual people has increased from 11 to 16. It’s the same age for legal homosexual sex.

This simply means that minors who are younger than 16 don’t have the ability to legally consent to any sexual act. Without any knowledge about this, minors can start engaging in sexual activities without realizing its implications.

The data considered in this research was sourced from a CDC report.

Did not use contraceptive methods in the last sexual intercourse

The higher the number of people who use contraceptives, the lower the rate of pregnancy-related health risks as well as unwanted pregnancies. The scores were determined after careful consideration of a CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System’s report.

sexual transmitting diseases rate

Low levels of knowledge and awareness of sexually transmitted diseases can result in an increase in the number of people having them. The data concerning the STD rate used in this report has been sourced from a 2019 CDC report.

Abortion rate

A higher abortion rate can translate to more people who know about their options. Unwanted pregnancies, particularly in very young women, can cause health complications and even death. The data was sourced from a Statista report on abortion rate.

Abortion among Minors

The teen birth rate is falling. In fact, last year, the rate dropped to below 18 births per 1,000 girls and women (15 to 19 years old). One reason is the increased used of more effective contraception. Spreading more information about pregnancy prevention helped as well. The data reflect the results of the YRBSS report mentioned earlier.

Abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy

Most cases of abortions are done during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Abortions done early in pregnancy are considered safer, easier, and cheaper compared with abortions done later. The data used here was sourced from the same CDC report.

Having more than 3 abortions

Women have different reasons for seeking an abortion. The most common is unwanted pregnancy as a result of the lack of awareness of proper and effective contraceptive use and family planning methods. The scores reflect the YRBSS results.

Become a mom before 19

This metric considered the age of the reported women when they first got pregnant. The data collected came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report for November 2019.

Takeaways

Sex is an uncomfortable topic but it doesn’t mean that people should stop talking about it openly. Sex education brings so many positive effects on people, particularly the younger ones. It increases their knowledge and improves their attitudes toward sexual behaviors and reproductive health.

In this report, it was determined that Vermont is the most educated state when it comes to sex. It’s closely followed by Maine and Iowa. Texas appeared to be the least educated state out of the 28 states ranked.

fair use statement

If you know someone who could benefit from our findings, feel free to share this project with them. The graphics and content are available for noncommercial reuse. All we ask is that you link back to this page so that readers get all the necessary information and we receive proper credit.

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Most Educated State About Sex