Contraception Confusion: What We Know (and Get Wrong) About Sex, Contraception and STIs

Contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain two of the most misunderstood areas of sexual health. Despite the contraceptive pill, condoms and emergency contraception being part of everyday life for millions of adults, our new research reveals just how shaky the nation’s grasp of the basics really is – from how well their chosen method actually works, to whether they’ve ever taken an STI test at all.

In fact, the research points to a wider ‘false reassurance’ problem: people are repeatedly overestimating how protected they are from pregnancy while underestimating their potential exposure to STIs.

We surveyed 3,000 UK adults, and the results paint a picture of a nation that often feels more confident about its sexual health knowledge than its answers suggest, with persistent myths influencing contraceptive choices, STI testing and where people turn for advice.

The 10 must-know contraception and STI statistics

• Most Brits have no idea how effective the contraceptive pill actually is. Only 0.6% correctly stated it’s around 91% effective with typical use, with nearly one third (31%) wrongly believing it’s 99-100% effective.
• A worrying number of Brits (37.8%) believe long-term hormonal contraception causes infertility, including more than half (52.5%) of 18-24-year-olds.
• 68.2% of UK adults have never taken an STI test, despite 81.3% knowing STIs can have no symptoms at all.
• The male condom is the most commonly picked ‘highly effective’ contraception method (40.9%), despite being one of the least effective with typical use.
• More than half (59.2%) of Brits either believe the morning after pill can end an existing pregnancy or were unsure if it could. Only40.8% correctly knew that it doesn’t.
• More than one third (35%) of women have stopped a contraceptive method due to side effects.
• Women shoulder the mental load of contraception: 55.3% say remembering pills/renewals falls mostly to them, vs 11.4% of men.
• Only a quarter (24.5%) of adults know condoms are usually free on the NHS, with 36.6% wrongly thinking you have to pay.
• More than one in 10 women (13.8%) have avoided emergency contraception because of cost, rising to 28% of 18-34-year-old women.
• Almost one in three (30.5%) 18-24-year-olds have stopped a contraceptive method because of something they saw on social media, while 16.5% of all adults have done the same.

“The most concerning finding isn’t simply that people have individual facts wrong. It’s that several of these misconceptions could create a real false sense of security. If someone thinks their contraception is more effective than it actually is or assumes they’re STI-free because they have no symptoms, that misinformation can have serious real world consequences.”

Dr Rashi Malhotra, General Practitioner

Britain overestimates its protection and underestimates its risk

Across the board, the UK public consistently believes contraception is more effective, and their fertile window shorter, than it really is, suggesting a broad gap between the chance of pregnancy people think they have, and the reality.

 Only 0.6% correctly identified that the contraceptive pill is around 91% effective with typical use, while nearly one third (30.9%) think it’s 99-100% effective. The average respondent estimated its effectiveness at 93%, higher than the typical use figure.

And it’s not just the pill. The effectiveness of contraception is misunderstood full stop. For example, the male condom was the single most picked (40.9%) ‘highly effective’ method of contraception, despite not even qualifying.

The genuinely most effective methods (providing 99% protection with typical use) are the contraceptive implant and IUS (hormonal coil). And yet they were only correctly identified by 30.2% and 19% of Brits respectively. Brits are just as misinformed about fertility timing: almost half of those surveyed (48%) believe sperm survives 24 hours or less after sex, when the real figure is up to five days. The average guess was just 2 days – less than a third of the true fertile window.

Taken together, these findings suggest people aren’t confused about one or two isolated contraceptive facts. There’s a recurring tendency to overestimate levels of protection and underestimate the  chance of pregnancy.

Perhaps most striking, 2.4% of adults believe the withdrawal method ‘never fails if done correctly’. Over half of sexually active adults (50.7%) have used the withdrawal method at some point, and more than one in 10 (11%) currently rely on it. Why’s this a concern? Well, with typical use the withdrawal method is only 78-80% effective, resulting in around 22 pregnancies for every 100 people using it.

Persistent myths are worst among younger generations who need the facts the most

 Despite work to tackle misinformation, there are a number of contraception myths that persist in the UK, especially among younger generations. More than one third (37.8%) of all adults wrongly believe prolonged hormonal contraception causes infertility, while only 22.2% correctly know it doesn’t - that means the myth is beating the fact by almost 2:1. Among 18-24-year-olds specifically, the myth hits 52.5%.

The scale of this misconception matters because concerns about future fertility can influence whether someone starts, continues, or switches their contraceptive method.

A similar pattern shows up around emergency contraception: nearly six in 10 adults either wrongly believe the morning after pill can end an existing pregnancy (32.1%) or aren’t sure (27.1%), with only 40.8% correctly answering that it can’t.

Young Brits were the most accurate age group here despite their lack of knowledge elsewhere, with 50% of 18-24-year-olds choosing the right answer compared to just 33.9% of over-55s.

Yet that victory appears to be an anomaly. Younger adults are also markedly less aware that you can conceive while breastfeeding, with only 46.2% of 18-24-year-olds correctly answering compared with 63.2% of all adults.

The age-based knowledge gap continues for STI symptom awareness, where older adults again know more: 87.7% of over-55s correctly stated that STIs can be symptomless, compared with 75.8% of 18-24-year-old. That leaves almost one in four 18-24-year-olds unaware than an STI can have no symptoms, potentially creating false reassurance about their own health.

“We’re seeing a generation who are chronically online and exposed to immense amounts of information but are still not necessarily well-informed. Fertility myths can push people away from highly effective, reversible methods and towards less reliable ones, often based on something they’ve seen on social media rather than clinical advice.

“Contraception is deeply personal, and someone’s experience of one method doesn’t necessarily predict how another person will respond. Social media can be means to disseminate the ‘horror stories’, and not the cases where it’s worked well! People should consider their individual circumstances and medical history when choosing a method with their GP, rather than relying on anecdotes or claims they’ve seen online.”

Dr Rashi Malhotra, General Practitioner

The STI testing blind spot

Britain knows, in principle, that STIs can be silent, but a testing and conversation gap leaves millions potentially exposed.

More than four in five (81.3%) adults know STIs can by symptomless, yet more than one third (68.2%) have never taken an STI test in their life. Only 9.3% have ever tested positive, and just 19.6% have tested and received a negative result.

The contrast is striking. People largely understand that an STI may not cause symptoms, but that knowledge isn’t translating into testing.

That gap between knowledge and action shows up elsewhere too. More than a third (38.1%) of adults have assumed they were STI-free after unprotected sex without ever actually testing. That rises to 43.7% of men compared to 32.5% of women.

Conversation is a barrier as well as testing itself: 27.6% of adults never discuss STI testing with a partner at all, only 10.9% test at regular intervals, and a further 26.6% say the topic has simply never come up in their relationship.

Among those who do test, the average last test was 5 years ago. Age plays a huge role in determining this, however. The average was 11 years ago among over-55s compared with just 6 months for 18-24-year-olds.

“Knowing that STIs can be symptomless is only useful if people act on that knowledge. Waiting for symptoms isn’t a reliable way of knowing whether you have an infection, which is why testing can be an important part of looking after your sexual health.

“The fact that more than one third of people have assumed they’re STI-free after unprotected sex without testing shows how easily reassurance can replace certainty. Having an open conversation with a partner can feel awkward, but it’s far safer than making assumptions.”

Dr Rashi Malhotra, General Practitioner

Access, cost and confusion: perception vs reality

Three-quarters of the country believe contraception is easy to access, but cost confusion and real-world barriers bite hardest for young people.

75.5% of adults agree contraception is ‘readily accessible to everyone in the UK’, yet the lived experience tells a different story. Only 24.5% know condoms can be accessed for free on the NHS, while 36.6% wrongly think you have to pay, making it a standout access myth.

Just 37.5% know the emergency contraception is now available free on the NHS, and only around half (52%) know the contraceptive pills are free.

Cost has real consequences too: more than one in 10 (13.8%) of women have avoided emergency contraception specifically due to cost concerns. Among 18-24-year-olds, this figure almost doubles to 27.7%, rising again to 28.9% among 25-34-year-old women.

Beyond cost, the most common real-world barriers to getting the contraception people wanted were side effect concerns (13%), embarrassment or privacy (12.1%), and long appointment waits (10.8%). An additional 7.2% simply said they don’t know where to go to access contraception.

“We often talk about contraception being accessible, but access isn’t meaningful if someone doesn’t know where to go, assumes they can’t afford it, or feels too embarrassed to ask. The cost findings are particularly concerning because they show that perception can become a real barrier to accessing emergency contraception.

“If you’re ever unsure about the cost or availability of contraception, check what services are available via your GP or pharmacist. Don’t assume you have to pay or can’t access it before having a conversation with a healthcare professional. Sexual health clinics are also a great place to look and are easily accessible.”

Dr Rashi Malhotra, General Practitioner

The gender burden of contraception

Women carry a disproportionate share of the knowledge and the day-to-day admin of contraception, while also dealing with more birth control side effects.

More than one third (35%) of women have stopped a contraceptive method due to side effects. Among women who quit a method, the combined pill was the most frequently stopped (51.4%). The top side effects driving people off contraception were weight changes (36.8%), bleeding or period changes (35.9%), and mood changes (35%).

In addition to side effects, women overwhelmingly carry the day-to-day ‘mental load’ of contraception:

• 55.3% say remembering pills or renewals falls mostly to them versus 11.4% of men
• 50.8% say booking appointments is mainly their responsibility versus 18.9% of men
• 47.1% say researching options is mainly their responsibility versus 18.9% of men

While this is partly reflective of the fact that most available contraceptive methods are female-controlled, it raises the question about how couples share the conversation, knowledge and practical responsibility around contraception.

However, 28.1% of men cite ’partner preference’ as a reason for their current method, compared with just 8.5% of women. This suggests men have more influence over a method they’re less involved in managing.

“It’s not surprising that women are more likely to manage contraception when the majority of options available involve their own bodies. However, that doesn’t mean contraception needs to be a one-person conversation. Partners can support each other by talking openly about contraception, understanding the options and side effects, helping with the practicalities, and taking responsibility for condoms where appropriate.

“The responsibility also doesn’t have to mean making decisions for someone else. It can mean being informed, having the conversation and making sure contraception is something you navigate together, rather than leaving one person to carry all the knowledge and responsibility.”

Dr Rashi Malhotra, General Practitioner

The shifting information landscape

One third of adults (33.6%) don’t seek any information about contraception at all, and a similar share (34.5%) don’t seek information on sexual health or STIs.

When people do look, trusted sources like a GP or nurse (27.4%) or the NHS website (26.2%) still lead, While AI chatbots (5.6%) have overtaken TikTok (4.3%) as an information source.

Among 18-24-year-olds, TikTok (14.2%) and AI chatbots (9.1%) are mainstream sources, and more than one fifth (21.4%) say they go to TikTok or social media for contraception advice specifically.

This information isn't just being consumed, it’s influencing decisions. 16.5% of all adults have stopped a contraceptive method because of something they saw on social media, rising to 30.5% of 18-24-year-olds and 34.9% of 25-34-year-olds.

For social media users, distrust of sexual health content found there (30.5%) only narrowly outweighs trust (27.5%), leaving more than one quarter of the country trusting unmoderated advice on a medical topic.

“The challenge has changed.   People are now presented with information and health claims without even looking for them thanks to social media algorithms.

“Crucially, this information is often stripped of the context and personalisation that would come from a healthcare professional. This can significantly increase anxiety while spreading misinformation, and may prevent people accessing useful, accurate advice from a trusted source.

“We’re also seeing a greater number of people turn to AI for health information, which makes it more important than ever to distinguish between useful general information and personal medical advice. A person’s experience of contraception or STIs can be genuine without being universally applicable, and that distinction is easily lost online.”

Dr Rashi Malhotra, General Practitioner

Key takeaways from our experts

• Don't assume. Check the real effectiveness rate of your contraceptive method rather than the one you’ve seen quoted online.  Hormonal contraception does not cause long-term infertility. Fertility returns once you’ve stopped your chosen method of contraception.
• The morning after pill prevents or delays ovulation. It doesn’t act as a way to terminate a pregnancy.
• Get tested for STIs regularly, not just when something feels wrong. Most STIs have no symptoms at all.
• Contraception is available for free on the NHS, from sexual health clinics, and via NHS partner providers like Chemist4U. Cost should never be a barrier.
• Treat social media anecdotes as personal experience, not medical advice. What works – or doesn’t work – for one person may not be right for another.

“The data shows just how much misinformation is filling the gap left by false reassurance, embarrassment and lack of confidence talking about sex and contraception. Our advice is simple: don’t rely on what you’ve seen on social media, don’t assume you’re protected, and don’t be afraid to ask a GP or pharmacist for personalised advice. We’re here for exactly this.”

Dr Rashi Malhotra, General Practitioner

Methodology

Chemist4U surveyed 3,000 UK adults aged 18+ (minimum base of 1,500 who have had sex) via Censuswide, a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council. Fieldwork was conducted between 26 August and 1 September 2026. All figures are rounded.