University students in Shanghai are either shunning promiscuity, or are too shy to admit to sexual dalliances.
A wide-ranging city sexual survey has come up with some surprising results.
For example, just 20.2 percent of male university students and an astonishingly low 10 percent of female students said they had sexual experience.
The survey, covering more than 5,000 students from 14 universities and colleges, sought to discover students' understanding of reproductive health, requirements on sex education and their sexual behavior and attitudes.
Some findings, particularly on sex activity, are under question as experts doubt the veracity of many respondents.
Only 17.5 percent of respondents were against university students having sexual affairs. More than 81 percent think it is OK "or are indifferent to" having premarital or extramarital sex and 69 percent accept premarital pregnancy or think it is inevitable.
Just 16.5 percent of students accept homosexual behavior and 22 percent said there were gay people around them. About 3.8 percent of male students and 1.7 percent of female students have tried gay sex, according to the survey.
"The proportion of university students with sexual experience was questioned by foreign experts when the result was released at a recent international andrology conference, since the figure was quite low," said Dr Chen Bin from Renji Hospital's department of urology and andrology.
Chen is also a vice president of the Shanghai Institute of Andrology, which conducted the survey.
"Some students may not provide truthful answers because of privacy issues and shyness," he said.
"More information can be gleaned from other answers, such as over 29 percent of students saying they had experienced sexual petting."
However, experts said city students had an open concept on sex and were eager to get proper guidance.
