When it comes to safe sex, a new study suggests middle-aged Canadians have something to learn from the younger generation.
Research from the University of Guelph indicates Canadians aged between 40 and 59 are less likely to use condoms than their younger counterparts.
The study found 65 per cent of men in that age bracket surveyed online reported not using a condom the last time they had sex, while the number jumped to 72 per cent for women.
The number included respondents who were married, divorced, single or widowed.
The research findings were released Thursday in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality
Study co-author Robin Milhausen says it's not unusual to see people exercise less caution as they age.
"The longer you are alive and sexually active and have no negative outcomes...eventually safer sex fatigue can set in where you just think 'it won't happen to me' and you stop using it," she said in a telephone interview.
Safe-sex education and outreach efforts can easily target high school and university students who congregate in common places, but have a harder time reaching older populations that are more widely dispersed, she said.
Fear of erectile dysfunction and performance anxiety can also play a role among older men, she said, adding many may choose to avoid condom use for fear it will exacerbate existing issues they may be contending with.
But relationship status plays a major role as well, she said.
Canadians re-entering the dating scene after a marriage or long-term relationship may feel reluctant to use condoms or have safe-sex-related conversations with prospective partners, she said.
For those who are not dating casually and are pursuing more committed relationships, the risk becomes even greater.
About 2,400 adults took part in the online survey. The polling industry's professional body, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.