About the survey
The Canberra Gay Community Periodic Survey has been carried out for the past 9 years. The results are used to inform HIV prevention and sexual health services. In 2009 men were recruited from 5 venues: SpringOut Fairday, Pink Tennis Bushdance, a night club, a sex on premises venue and a sexual health clinic.
The research is funded by ACT Health and conducted by the National Centre in HIV Social Research at the University of NSW, in association with the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research and the AIDS Action Council of the ACT.
All about you
310 men in Canberra took part in the survey in 2009.
At a glance…
- Age: Under 30 years 41%, 30-39 years 26%, 40 years and over 34%
- Ethnicity: Anglo-Australian: 77%, European 9%, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 4%, Other 10%
- Education: 76% had received education beyond year 12
- Employment: 16% of men were not in the workforce (higher than the general population)
Relationships – Open & Closed
We asked about whether you were in a relationship and if it was open or closed.
61% of you were in a relationship, 52% of these relationships were monogamous.
HIV
Most of you knew your HIV status, but 12% had never been tested or hadn’t returned for your results. 69% of those who had tested negative had their last test within the past 12 months (an increase since the survey began).
3% of men had tested HIV positive and of these 75% were on combination antiretroviral treatments.
3% of men had used post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in the last 6 months to reduce the risk of transmission following a possible exposure.
Sex
In the 6 months prior to the survey:
61% of you had sex with casual partners and 61% with regular partners (e.g. boyfriends or fuck buddies).
Looking for sex
The internet was the most popular place for men looking for sex, with 41% of you having gone online occasionally or often in the past 6 months.
Sydney was the next most popular place to meet men with 35% having done so in the past 6 months, followed by gay bars at 33%.
Casual partners
Among those of you who had sex with casual partners in the past 6 months:
89% had oral sex and 78% had anal sex.
44% always fuck with a condom (a decrease since 2003) and 35% had fucked without a condom (an increase since 2006 and the highest level since the survey began).
If you can’t be sure of his HIV status, use condoms and lube.
Regular partners
Among those of you with regular partners:
25% always fuck with a condom and 62% sometimes fuck without a condom.
77% of HIV negative men with an HIV negative partner had fucked without condoms (an increase since 2006).
Telling you, telling me…
Of guys in a regular relationship:
- 69% are HIV negative and their partner is HIV negative
- 22% either don’t know their HIV status or their partner’s
- 10% are in a relationship where one person is HIV positive and the other is HIV negative
31% of you who fucked a casual partner without condoms did so after telling that partner your HIV status before sex.
Sexual health check-ups
70% of HIV-negative men had a sexual health check-up in the past 12 months (an increase since 2006), 59% had a syphilis test and 47% had an anal swab.
78% of HIV-positive men had a sexual health check-up in the past 12 months.
Drugs
The most commonly used drugs in the last 6 months were:
- Amyl/Poppers – 23%
- Ecstasy – 22%
- Marijuana – 19%
- Cocaine – 10%
- Speed – 9% (Crystal 4%)
- Viagra – 9%
12% of men had used party drugs for the purpose of sex and 3% had injected drugs in the past 6 months.
NB: Due to rounding, percentages do not always sum to exactly 100. Adapted from the 2009 Queensland Gay Community Periodic Survey report.