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Key Data for Understanding the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Opportunity Youth

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Opportunity youth are young people ages 16 to 24 who are not working nor enrolled in school. They are a diverse group who come from different backgrounds, races/ethnicities, and communities and who have varying strengths, resources, and needs. This infographic highlights key findings from Activate’s analysis of the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of opportunity youth using the National Survey of Family Growth. Learn more through Activate’s research brief, “Understanding the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Opportunity Youth.”

Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes

Much like their connected peers (who are in school and/or working), most opportunity youth are sexually active.

Three bar charts. Were sexually active in the past year: female 77%, male 69%. Had an opposite sex partner: female 74%, male 66%. Had a same sex partner: female 10%, male 5%.

Most opportunity youth use effective contraception and the majority of female opportunity youth access sexual and reproductive health care services.

Sexually active opportunity youth who used a condom and/or hormonal/long-acting contraceptive the last time they had sex: female 82%, male 87%. Female opportunity youth who accessed SRH services in the past year: 69%.

Female opportunity youth are more than twice as likely as their connected peers to have experienced a pregnancy and to have a child.

Two bar charts. Ever been pregnant: opportunity youth 41%, connected peers 20%. Have a child (see footnote 1): opportunity youth 32%, connected peers 14%.

1We do not know whether the opportunity youth in our analysis were disconnected from school and work prior to giving birth.

Opportunity youth have access to, and may need, different types of supports.

Percent of opportunity youth by household income: 42% below the federal poverty level, 31% at 100 to 249 percent of the federal poverty level, 27% at 250 percent or more of the federal poverty level.

Two donut charts. Percent of opportunity youth lacking health insurance for at least one month in the past year: 29% inconsistent/no insurance, 71% consistent insurance. Percent of opportunity youth who had insecure housing in the past year (see footnote 2): 15% insecure housing, 85% secure housing.

2Lacked a permanent place to stay at least one night in the past year.

Most opportunity youth have received information about sexual and reproductive health through both formal education (school or community-based) and informal conversations.3

Two bar charts. Received formal sex education in school or a community setting: female 92%, male 94%. Have talked to their parents about SRH: female 80%, male 73%.

3Topics may have included condom use, where to get birth control, HIV/AIDS, and/or STIs. We do not know the timing or quality of the information.

Suggested Citation: Beckwith, S., DeCoursey, J., & Murphy, K., & Welti, K. (2023). Key Data for understanding the sexual and reproductive health of opportunity youth [infographic]. Bethesda, MD: Child Trends. https://activatecenter.org/resource/keydata-for-understanding-the-sexual-and-reproductive-health-of-opportunity-youth

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