The aim of this study was to investigate young people´s knowledge of and attitudes towards contraceptives and sexual risk-taking behaviour. The study was qualitative and utilised a focus group methodology. Twenty-seven young people participated. Four homogenous focus groups with 5 to 9 youths in each met and had discussions based upon a guided questionnaire. The participants were males and females in the ninth grade of secondary school and in the third year of high school. The discussions were taperecorded and later transcribed. The material was analysed using qualitative content analyses. The results indicated that the young people knew of several contraceptive methods however they lacked detailed knowledge of those methods. Condoms were considered to be a safe contraceptive method although use of condoms was low. A couple of obstacles to condom use were mentioned. Females took more responsibility for contraception than males. Knowledge about sexually transmitted infections and abortion was deficient. Young people engaged in sexual activity without knowing who their partner was and alcohol was often present in contexts where unprotected sex took place. After unprotected sexual intercourse most females tested themselves immediately for possible infection while males would do so after developing symptoms of infection. Young people were positive to the idea of sexual education in school but felt the information and message had to be engaging and often repeated. Keywords: contraceptive, condom, adolescence, risk-taking behavior, abortion, sexually transmitted infections, sex- education