The detailed report captures and addresses the understanding of the consumer psychology and attitude towards the use of condom

Condom Alliance, a shared value collective of condom market players and other  stakeholders to improve the well-being of young people in India, launched India’s first ever Condomology  report. Condomology stands for Consumer Condom Psychology and aptly describes the context and focus  of the report that offers an understanding of the consumer psychology and attitude towards the use of  condoms, while demystifying the misconceptions and other barriers to use.  

We are a young nation with 50% of our population under the age of 24 and 65% below the age of 35 years  of age, but to harness this youth power and opportunity, we must ensure their health and well-being. 78% of  young male between the age of 20-24 did not use a contraceptive with their last sexual partner- according to  National Family Health Survey – 4 (NFHS – 4), indicating the need to urgently address an imminent crisis  in reproductive and sexual health. Increase in the number of unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions and the  rise in the number of STIs serve as a significant barrier for achieving the nation’s goal of sustainable  development for the youth. 

The report attempts to address some critical questions -Why are we low on condom usage? Where does India  stand with regards to the Global Condom usage? The answers all indicate that unfortunately, despite the  social media boom and the influx of casual dating apps, the youth still struggle with years of social  conditioning and societal judgement with regards to accurate and essential information about protected sex  and contraceptives. 

The statistics indicate an imminent reproductive and sexual health crisis 

∙ Only 7% of young women and 27% of young men had ever used condoms in pre-marital sex. Only  3% and 13%, respectively, always used a condom, according to study titled “Condom Use Before  Marriage and Its Correlates: Evidence from India” conducted by the Population Council in 2011.  

∙ India ranks third highest in the number of HIV cases, according to the United Nation(UN).  ∙ The condom market has only witnessed a 2% CAGR in volume, in the past few years despite the  campaigns led by government bodies and other institutions to encourage the use of contracep tives Globally the numbers of women relying on male condoms increased from 64 million to 189 million  from 1994 to 2019 

∙ Unlike the rest of the world, condom usage remains extremely low at 5.6% based on the NFHS 4. 

The report attempts to demystify the social and psychological reasons that create a barrier for use through the  following key questions: 

“Why do I need a condom?” – The lack of awareness about the rather serious and grim repercussions “Is using a condom the right decision?” – Myths and misconceptions related to use 

“How do I procure a condom?” – The barriers faced in the last mile 

On the launch of the report Mr. Ajay Rawal, Founding Member, Condom Alliance and General Manager  – Marketing, Raymond Consumer Care,said “With a large portion of our population especially the youth  not using condoms and indulging in unprotected sex, the sexual and reproductive wellbeing of our nation’s