KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — A survey of Malaysian men’s views on sex education found that nearly a third of those surveyed think teaching the subject will lead to more sexual activity.

The survey by the Centre for Governance and Political Studies (Cent-GPS) looked at men living in the Klang Valley, ostensibly representative of urban society that it considered more aware of sex education issues.

Of the 1,007 respondents, 63 per cent believed that sex education does not promote sexual activity but around 32 per cent think that it will.  About 4.4 per cent said they did not know.

Amongst all the races interviewed — Malay, Chinese, Indian and “unidentified” — most believe that sex education does not promote more sexual activity.

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When asked whether their religion allowed for sex education, 56 per cent said yes, while 36 per cent said no. All race segments showed that about half or less than half believed that their religion does allow for sex education.

When asked whether sex education should be taught at schools or by parents, 48 per cent chose parents and 30 per cent chose schools.

Some 53 per cent of the respondents said that they first learned how to use protection from the “media”, 24 per cent admitted that they learned through porn, 36.2 per cent claim that they learned from online articles and videos, 17 per cent claimed they were “self taught”, 14 per cent claim that they learned from movies and TV shows and 4.5 per cent claimed that they learned through advertisements.

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Some 27 per cent claimed that they had learned about protection and its uses through formal education, 10 per cent claimed that they had learned from friends and family while 6 per cent claimed they learned by “experience.”

When it came to dating a seemingly obsessive partner, the results were split — around 38 per cent of respondents claim that they would stop dating someone who asked them to choose between her or their friends, but almost the same number of men said that an obsessive partner would not affect the relationship. Around 25 per cent of the respondents were less definitive, hoping to ask more questions, wait, and further assess the situation.

More than half of the Malay respondents said they would choose to remain in a unhealthy relationship while only 36 per cent chose to leave.

Only 25 per cent of Chinese and 18 per cent of Indians would choose to stay. Of the race segments, the Indian respondents appear most likely to be definitive in their decision about leaving or staying in the relationship.

Cent-GPS said that the results point to a higher need for an effective and more in-depth sex education in Malaysia.

“A majority of men claim they learned how to use protection through the media and porn. A big segment of men are unable to identify an unhealthy relationship. A big chunk of men believe that sex education promotes unnecessary sexual activity.

“Hypothetically, this segment of men — urban, English-speaking and in the Klang Valle y— is supposed to represent the most comprehensive and understanding in terms of consent, sex education and healthy relationships. We fear the results and misconceptions surrounding sex education may possibly be the same, or worse in other areas of Malaysia,” it said.