WASHINGTON (AP) - Virtually all teens say they are influenced - at least a little - by what other teens think when deciding whether to have sex, although many say their parents' influence is even more important, according to the survey of teen and adult attitudes.

``When it comes to sex, many parents feel that they have lost their children to the influence of peers and popular culture. Our survey offers a different picture,'' the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy campaign concludes in a report.

Teens exert a strong influence over one another, too. Girls say that pressure is most likely to come from their would-be sexual partners. For boys, the pressure comes from their friends.

Still, asked what forces are most influential in sexual decision making, teens were more likely to say parents (38 percent) than friends (32 percent), according to the survey being released Wednesday by the campaign.

When parents were asked what forces they thought were most important to teens, 50 percent said friends, followed by 32 percent who said parents.

Friends do make a difference, teens agreed. Some 94 percent of teens said they are influenced at least a little by what other teens think when deciding whether to have sex, with 58 percent saying they are influenced a lot.

But the pressure can be different for boys and girls. Teens were asked from what sources they have felt pressure to have sex. Among girls, 37 percent said from their partners, followed by 26 percent who said their friends.

Among boys, 45 percent said they had felt pressure from friends, versus only 19 percent who said their partners.

``We have a lot more work to do with teen guys,'' said Bill Albert, a spokesman for the pregnancy prevention campaign. ``There still is this misperception that teen pregnancy is a girl problem that gets solved with lectures for girls. Obviously, the million girls who got pregnant last year didn't do it alone.''

The teen birth rate has fallen 20 percent since 1991, with a similar drop in the teen pregnancy rate. Asked why, teens and adults were most likely to credit worry about AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, followed by availability of birth control.

The survey also found that large percentages of adults and teens think that teens should be encouraged to abstain from sex all together - but should also be told about and be given access to birth control.

``Strident arguments over which strategy is better - sexual abstinence or contraceptive use - are a recipe for stalemate,'' the campaign concluded.

Specifically, the survey found that 73 percent of adults and 56 percent of teens agree that ``teens should not be sexually active, but teens who are should have access to birth control.''

Fifteen percent of adults and 18 percent of teens had a stricter view, agreeing that ``teens should not be sexually active and should not have access to birth control.''

Twelve percent of adults and 25 percent of teens were more liberal, saying, ``It's OK for teens to be sexually active, as long as they have access to birth control.''

Supporters of ``abstinence only'' programs argue that talking about birth control while discouraging sex sends a mixed message, but only 24 percent of teens and 28 percent of adults agreed.

The telephone surveys of 1,002 teens ages 12 to 19 and 1,024 adults were conducted in late January and early February. The margins of sampling error are plus or minus three percentage points.

Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.