Condoms are popular in many countries throughout the world, including Australia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Ireland, and Germany. In fact, German couples will often avoid intercourse when no condom is available (Lautmann & Starke, 2004), and in Ireland men have been known to make their own condoms out of plastic wrap when they cannot find a condom (Kelly, 2004; something that is not recommended by your author, by the way). Condoms are also very popular in Japan, where nearly 80% of couples using contraception choose them (Hatano & Shimazaki, 2004).
In many other countries, however, condoms are not widely used. This may be due to embarrassment, lack of availability, or religious prohibition. In Botswana, for example, many couples are embarrassed to purchase condoms (Mookodi, Ntshebe, & Taylor, 2004), and a similar attitude is found in Brazil, especially among women (de Freitas, 2004). However, these attitudes are slowly changing due to increased condom availability. In Costa Rica, where religious prohibitions discourage condom use, men report not wanting to use condoms and prohibit their partners from using protection as well (Arroba, 2004).