Yes, it’s that time of year again – Terrence Higgins Trust and Sigma Research want to know all about what you get up to in the sack!  This year’s Gay Men’s Sex Survey is now online and can be completed by logging onto www.sigmasurvey.org.uk.  Thanks to feedback from collaborators, the online version of this year’s survey is also available in Spanish at www.sigmaspanish.org.uk. 

The Survey is carried out by Sigma Research in collaboration with over 150 HIV organisations as part of the CHAPS Partnership’s health promotion work with gay men.  Peter Weatherburn, Director at Sigma Research said:  “Please take the time to tell us about your life – the questionnaire only takes ten minutes to complete, and you’ll be participating in what is probably the single largest survey of gay men anywhere in the world!  By including a version of the online survey in Spanish, we also hope to reach men who wouldn’t otherwise be able to complete the survey.”
 
Will Nutland, Head of Gay Men’s Health Promotion at THT said: “The survey is a vital part of our work in providing information and advice on HIV prevention and sexual health promotion for gay men.  It’s only made possible by the participation of over 16,000 men each year.  Previous surveys have told us a lot about men’s attitudes towards a variety of issues, and continue to help us shape our health promotion and HIV prevention work with the gay community.”

This year’s survey includes questions about religion, whether men have ever paid for or been paid for sex, whether they are happy with the information they have about HIV, and also asks whether they have seen and can recall some of the main health promotion campaigns which have run over the last twelve months.  Will Nutland explained:  “Last year, we broadened the survey to find out more about gay men’s attitudes towards a variety of issues which are relevant to sexual health, and this has given us a lot of information on subjects such as gay men’s use of GPs and other primary care services.  By including questions on attitudes towards subjects such as religion, we are hoping to be able to build a wider, clearer picture of how external factors contribute towards men’s attitudes towards their sexuality and sexual behaviour.”

The survey can be completed online until the end of September, and is also available in booklet form from gay venues, support groups and organisations across the UK.

Ends

Notes to editors

• The survey covers the following areas:

• Age, education, area of residence, sexuality

• Number of sexual partners in the past year

• Religion brought up into and currently practiced

• Whether men have ever been tested for HIV and what they believe their current HIV status to be

• Whether men have ever paid for sex or been paid for sex

• Whether men believe the sex they are having to be as safe as they wish it to be

• How concerned men are about their alcohol consumption and drug use

• How happy they are with their knowledge of HIV

• When they last had a sexual health check-up

• Whether they would like further information on sexual health and where from

• Recognition of various HIV prevention and sexual health promotion materials from the last year