Canadians are clear: sexual health care is health care.
This past January, we at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights commissioned a survey to better understand the sexual health access and opinions of adults across Canada. What we found was not surprising: The large majority of Canadians agree that sexual health is an essential part of maintaining individual and community health and wellbeing. Access to sexual and reproductive health care is essential to a strong health care system, like the one Canadians pride themselves on.
The results of this research spotlights that a majority of Canadians rely on sexual health care services and are, in turn, supportive of accessible, informative sexual health care. While some people with vested interests seek to polarize these necessary services, the majority of Canadians across the country agree that sexual health is an issue that impacts all of us. That is why Action Canada will continue to advocate for public support and continued investment in vital sexual and reproductive health care services.
Some other key findings from the survey include:
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Canadians overwhelmingly agree that sexual and reproductive health care matters but are struggling to sustain their own sexual health in the current system. 81% of Canadians agree that sexual health care is an important part of the healthcare system while 85% agree it is fundamental for overall health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, a significant and concerning portion of Canadians (22%, or about 1 in 5 Canadians) already rate their sexual health as only “Poor” or “Fair.”
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Canadians are facing preventable barriers when accessing sexual health and reproductive care services. 58% of Canadians who try to access sexual and reproductive health care services have faced at least one barrier to care. The most common barriers to care reported are wait times (14% of Canadians), lack of family doctors (11% of Canadians), fear of judgement (10 % of Canadians), and lack of awareness of any local sexual health programs or services (10% of Canadians). Younger Canadians are significantly more likely to experience at least one barrier to care than older Canadians (18-34 years: 63%; 35-54 years: 43%; 55+ years: 21%).
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Underinvestment in public health care is limiting sexual and reproductive health care services. This is because Canadians rely on the public health care system to access sexual and reproductive health care. Notably, 69% of Canadians who accessed sexual and reproductive health care services did so through their family doctors while 28% accessed them through a specialist doctor, 27% did so through a hospital, and 17% did so at a walk-in clinic. Younger Canadians (below 34 years), trans and queer community members, men, and those living in urban areas were more likely to access care through a sexual health clinic.
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Canadians overwhelmingly agree that sustaining and expanding comprehensive sexuality education should be a priority for politicians. Specifically, 84% of Canadians agree that comprehensive sexuality education is part of overall health and wellbeing. 69% of Canadians think that sexuality education among the most important sexual health service governments should focus on improving access to in the coming years, while 29% think that it is the single most important service to focus on.
This research provides an important insight into Canadians’ thinking on the state of sexual and reproductive health care in Canada and what priorities elected officials might be able to harness to positively engage voters. What is most clear is that a majority of Canadians rely on sexual health care services and are, in turn, supportive of accessible, informative sexual health care.
The survey was completed by 1,500 adult Canadians (18 years old and over) between January 24 and 31, 2024. The margin of error is ±2.5%. The dataset was weighted according to most current gender and age census data to ensure the results reflect the actual population.
For more information, or to receive a copy of the survey results, please contact andrew@actioncanadashr.org.