Australia launches major survey on sex and relationships in digital age
Researchers surveyed nearly 13,000 Australians on sexual and reproductive health using phone and online methods, creating the first nationally representative snapshot in years. The study's design—blending traditional and digital data collection—offers a blueprint for policymakers and health organizations tracking intimate behavior as technology reshapes how people connect.
Originaltitel: Design and methods of the Third Australian Study of Health and Relationships (ASHR3): a nationally representative sexual and reproductive health survey
**Australien uppdaterar nationell metod för sexualhälsosamtal — viktig för policyjustering** Australien genomförde mellan mars 2023 och april 2024 en omfattande nationell sexualhälsoenkät, ASHR3, för första gången på flera år. Studien nådde 12 833 personer mellan 16 och 69 år genom både telefonintervjuer (7 226 deltagare) och webbaserad enkät (5 607 deltagare). Svarsfrekvensen var hög: 86 procent för telefon, 99 procent för webben. Resultaten visar representativ fördelning mellan könen (49 procent kvinnor, 49 procent män, 1,4 procent icke-binär). Svaren kalibrerades mot folkräkningen för att säkerställa geografisk och demografisk täckning. Endast 11 procent rapporterade att enkäten var skamfull, och 97 procent bedömde sitt eget svar som ärligt. Studien är relevant för beslutsfattare som planerar hälso- och jämställdhetspolicy. Metodologin erbjuder också mall för andra länder som behöver uppdatera sexualhälsostatistiken inför medicinsk och teknisk utveckling.
Background Significant social, technological and medical changes highlight a need for timely and representative sexual and reproductive health surveys, while also posing challenges to their design. This paper describes methods of the Third Australian Study of Health and Relationships (ASHR3). Methods From March 2023 to April 2024, data were collected from people aged 16–69 years via an anonymous survey of holistic sexual and reproductive health. ASHR3 collected data via random selection of mobile phone numbers for an interviewer-administered survey and via an online probability panel for a self-administered digital survey. Potential differences between the two modes of sampling and data collection were investigated. Sample-specific design weights were applied and calibrated to the 2021 Australian Census regarding gender, country of birth, education, religion and area of residence. Results The final sample was 12,833 people: 5693 men (48.63% weighted proportion), 6984 women (49.98%), and 156 non-binary people (1.39%) from every state and territory. Telephone interviews were conducted with 7226 participants and online surveys with 5607. The survey cooperation and response rates for the telephone sample were 86.11% and 3.54%, respectively, whereas the online completion rate was 98.73%. Few participants said the survey made them feel embarrassed (10.96%) and most said they were very honest in their responses (96.54%). Comparisons with the most recent Census found the weighted ASHR3 sample was generally representative of the general population of Australia, with a mean of 1.22% difference across key sociodemographic characteristics (s.d. 2.37). There were no differences observed in sociodemographic characteristics and other responses between the telephone and online samples. Conclusions ASHR3 compiled rich, robust, and representative data on sexual and reproductive health from a large national sample. The inclusion of an online probability panel complemented the more traditional telephone-based methods. With more than 20 years of data, ASHR is an important resource for monitoring trends in sexual and reproductive health.