2024 LSU Emergency Contraception Survey

LSU Manship School of Mass Communications recently published the findings of a survey they conducted to find out:

What do LSU students know about EC? What are their perceptions of and attitudes toward it? What barriers, if any, do they encounter in accessing EC? And do they support measures to expand education and access to EC on campus?

The online survey was disseminated to students between February 20 and March 15, 2024. 665 students responded to the survey.

What the research found was that students are generally aware of EC and know where to get it. Although, the LSU Student Health Center only provides Emergency Contraception (EC) to survivors of sexual assault who came forward.

What barriers to accessing EC did students report?

• cost (65.0%)

• anxiety/stigma ( 62.0%) 

• lack of accurate information (56.0%)

How did Students Learn about EC?

41.4% learned about EC from friends/peers, 12.8% from social media, and only 1.6% learned from a healthcare provider. 

There were a couple findings that we find pretty alarming.

• 33.9% of respondents thought that you probably have to be a certain age to get EC - this is FALSE - there is no age restriction to purchase EC i n the U.S.

• many students weren’t sure if EC was legal in Louisiana - EC IS LEGAL

• 34% of students mistakenly believe that EC can be used to terminate a pregnancy. EC prevents pregnancy, it DOES NOT end an existing pregnancy.

This research makes it pretty clear that Louisiana can be doing a lot more to make sure that young people are getting evidence-based, accurate information about birth control - especially from their healthcare providers.