Until comparatively recently, the study of sexual behaviour was a much neglected area for scientific research. This had more to do with attitudes to the subject than with the lack of a need for information. In the past, those working in the fields of fertility control, sex education and sexual health generally were hindered in their work by the shortage of sound data.

With the emergence of a new sexually transmitted disease, AIDS, in the 1980s, it was no longer possible to ignore the need for an up-to-date and authoritative body of data on sexual behaviour.

Hence the collaboration of a team of researchers, from two London teaching hospitals and an independent research institute, on what is the largest and most comprehensive survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles ever conducted, in this country or abroad. The information, collected from nearly 19,000 randomly selected representatives of the British population, is here reported in the complete published version of the survey.

Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles covers the history, development and methodology of the study; describes early sexual experience, sexual partnerships, sexual practices and patterns of orientation; and explores their relationships with social and cultural factors. It will be an indispensable reference for all those working in health policy and health education, AIDS epidemiology and sex research