Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Declines in Sexual Frequency among American Adults, 1989–2014

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

American adults had sex about nine fewer times per year in the early 2010s compared to the late 1990s in data from the nationally representative General Social Survey, N = 26,620, 1989–2014. This was partially due to the higher percentage of unpartnered individuals, who have sex less frequently on average. Sexual frequency declined among the partnered (married or living together) but stayed steady among the unpartnered, reducing the marital/partnered advantage for sexual frequency. Declines in sexual frequency were similar across gender, race, region, educational level, and work status and were largest among those in their 50s, those with school-age children, and those who did not watch pornography. In analyses separating the effects of age, time period, and cohort, the decline was primarily due to birth cohort (year of birth, also known as generation). With age and time period controlled, those born in the 1930s (Silent generation) had sex the most often, whereas those born in the 1990s (Millennials and iGen) had sex the least often. The decline was not linked to longer working hours or increased pornography use. Age had a strong effect on sexual frequency: Americans in their 20s had sex an average of about 80 times per year, compared to about 20 times per year for those in their 60s. The results suggest that Americans are having sex less frequently due to two primary factors: An increasing number of individuals without a steady or marital partner and a decline in sexual frequency among those with partners.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The APC analyses provided a unique opportunity to better understand the anomalous 2012 data. If there was a coding issue as we suspected, the APC analyses should show a large time period effect for 2012. As such, we also conducted the APC analyses including the 2012 data. Consistent with the idea of a coding error, analyses with the 2012 data demonstrated a substantially larger variance component for time period and a large time period effect for 2012. Thus, we concluded that including the 2012 data would be highly misleading and continued to exclude it from all other analyses. Importantly, the pattern of cohort effects for the APC analysis was nearly identical even with the 2012 data included. Thus, this anomaly had little impact on the main APC results.

References

  • Atlantis, E., & Sullivan, T. (2012). Bidirectional association between depression and sexual dysfunction: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 9, 1497–1507.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bersamin, M. M., Fisher, D. A., Walker, S., Hill, D. L., & Grube, J. W. (2007). Defining virginity and abstinence: Adolescents’ interpretations of sexual behaviors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, 182–188.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchflower, D. G., & Oswald, A. J. (2004). Money, sex, and happiness: An empirical study. Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 106, 393–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brody, S. (2010). The relative health benefits of different sexual activities. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 7, 1336–1361.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burchell, A. N., Richardson, H., Mahmud, S. M., Trottier, H., Tellier, P. P., Hanley, J., & Franco, E. L. (2006). Modeling the sexual transmissibility of human papillomavirus infection using stochastic computer simulation and empirical data from a cohort study of young women in Montreal, Canada. American Journal of Epidemiology, 163, 534–543.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, J. S., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Nelson, L. J., Olson, C. D., Barry, C. M., & Madsen, S. D. (2008). Generation XXX: Pornography acceptance and use among emerging adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23, 6–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, Z., & Smyth, R. (2015). Sex and happiness. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 112, 26–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dickerson, S. M., & Gore, A. C. (2007). Estrogenic environmental endocrine-disrupting chemical effects on reproductive neuroendocrine function and dysfunction across the life cycle. Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders, 8, 143–159.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Döring, N., Daneback, K., Shaughnessy, K., Grov, C., & Byers, E. S. (2015). Online sexual activity experiences among college students: A four-country comparison. Archives of Sexual Behavior. doi:10.1007/s10508-015-0656-4.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, R. H., Wawer, M. J., Brookmeyer, R., Sewankambo, N. K., Serwadda, D., Wabwire-Mangen, F., & Quinn, T. C. (2001). Probability of HIV-1 transmission per coital act in monogamous, heterosexual, HIV-1-discordant couples in Rakai, Uganda. Lancet, 357, 1149–1153.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greenstone, M., & Looney, A. (2011, July 8). The Great Recession may be over, but American families are working harder than ever. Brookings on Job Numbers. http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/jobs/posts/2011/07/08-jobs-greenstone-looney.

  • Grunseit, A., Richters, J., Crawford, J., Song, A., & Kippax, S. (2005). Stability and change in sexual practices among first-year Australian university students (1990–1999). Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34, 557–568.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hald, G. M., & Malamuth, N. M. (2008). Self-perceived effects of pornography consumption. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 37, 614–625.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laumann, E. O., & Waite, L. J. (2008). Sexual dysfunction among older adults: Prevalence and risk factors from a nationally representative US probability sample of men and women 57–85 years of age. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 5, 2300–2311.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, D. M., Nazroo, J., & Pendleton, N. (2015). Erectile dysfunction and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor use: Associations with sexual activities, function and satisfaction in a population sample of older men. International Journal of Impotence Research, 27, 146–151.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lemer, J. L., Blodgett Salafia, E. H., & Benson, K. E. (2013). The relationship between college women’s sexual attitudes and sexual activity: The mediating role of body image. International Journal of Sexual Health, 25, 104–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loewenstein, G., Krishnamurti, T., Kopsic, J., & McDonald, D. (2015). Does increased sexual frequency enhance happiness? Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 116, 206–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lykke, L. C., & Cohen, P. N. (2015). The widening gender gap in opposition to pornography, 1975–2012. Social Currents, 2, 307–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manton, K. G., Gu, X., & Lamb, V. L. (2006). Long-term trends in life expectancy and active life expectancy in the United States. Population and Development Review, 32, 81–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michael, R. T., Gagnon, J. H., Laumann, E. O., & Kolata, G. (1994). Sex in America: A definitive survey. New York: Little, Brown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moors, A. C. (2017). Has the American public’s interest in information related to relationships beyond “the couple” increased over time? Journal of Sex Research. doi:10.1080/00224499.2016.1178208.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, E. M. (2011). Associations between young adults’ use of sexually explicit materials and their sexual preferences, behaviors, and satisfaction. Journal of Sex Research, 48, 520–530.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muise, A., Schimmack, U., & Impett, E. A. (2016). Sexual frequency predicts greater well-being, but more is not always better. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7, 295–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peck, B., Manning, J., Tri, A., Skrzypczynski, D., Summers, M., & Brubb, K. (2016). What do people mean when they say they ‘had sex’? Connecting communication and behavior. In J. Manning & C. Noland (Eds.), Contemporary studies of sexuality & communication: Theoretical and applied perspectives (pp. 3–14). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Price, J., Patterson, R., Regnerus, M., & Walley, J. (2016). How much more XXX is Generation X consuming? Evidence of changing attitudes and behaviors related to pornography since 1973. Journal of Sex Research, 53, 12–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ramey, G., & Ramey, V. A. (2010). The rug rat race. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Spring 2010, pp. 129–199. http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Projects/BPEA/Spring%202010/2010a_bpea_ramey.PDF.

  • Randall, H. E., & Byers, E. S. (2003). What is sex? Students’ definitions of having sex, sexual partner, and unfaithful sexual behavior. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 12, 87–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Risch, G. S., Riley, L. A., & Lawler, M. G. (2003). Problematic issues in the early years of marriage: Content for premarital education. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 31, 253–269.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saad, L. (2015, June 8). Fewer young people say I do—To any relationship. The Gallup Organization. http://www.gallup.com/poll/183515/fewer-young-people-say-relationship.aspx.

  • Schaie, K. W. (1965). A general model for the study of developmental problems. Psychological Bulletin, 64, 92–107.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schick, V., Herbenick, D., Reece, M., Sanders, S. A., Dodge, B., Middlestadt, S. E., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2010). Sexual behaviors, condom use, and sexual health of Americans over 50: Implications for sexual health promotion for older adults. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 7, 315–329.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. W., Marsden, P., Hout, M., & Kim, J. (2015). General Social Surveys, 1972–2014 [machine-readable data file]. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center [Producer]; Storrs, CT: The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut [distributor]. Retrived from http://www3.norc.org/GSS+Website/Download/.

  • Twenge, J. M. (2014). Generation Me: Why today’s young Americans are more confident, assertive, entitled—And more miserable than ever before (2nd ed.). New York: Atria Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M. (2015). Time period and birth cohort differences in depressive symptoms in the U.S., 1982–2013. Social Indicators Research, 121, 437–454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M. (2017). iGen: The 10 trends shaping today’s young people—And the nation. New York: Atria Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M., Sherman, R. A., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2016a). More happiness for young people and less for mature adults: Time period differences in subjective well-being in the United States, 1972–2014. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7, 131–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M., Sherman, R. A., & Wells, B. E. (2015). Changes in American adults’ sexual behavior and attitudes. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44, 2273–2285.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M., Sherman, R. A., & Wells, B. E. (2016b). Changes in American adults’ reported same-sex sexual experiences and attitudes. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45, 1713–1730.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Census. (2016). Estimated median age at first marriage, by sex: 1890 to the present. https://www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/marital.html.

  • Wadsworth, T. (2014). Sex and the pursuit of happiness: How other people’s sex lives are related to our sense of well-being. Social Indicators Research, 116, 115–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, A. J., Dunson, D. B., Weinberg, C. R., Trussell, J., & Baird, D. D. (2001). Likelihood of conception with a single act of intercourse: Providing benchmark rates for assessment of post-coital contraceptives. Contraception, 63, 211–215.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, P. J. (2012). A longitudinal analysis of U.S. adults’ pornography exposure. Journal of Media Psychology, 24, 67–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, P. J. (2013). U.S. males and pornography, 1973–2010: Consumption, predictors, correlates. Journal of Sex Research, 50, 60–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, P. J., Bae, S., & Funk, M. (2013). United States women and pornography through four decades: Exposure, attitudes, behaviors, individual differences. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42, 1131–1144.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, Y. (2008). Social inequalities in happiness in the United States, 1972 to 2004: An age-period-cohort analysis. American Sociological Review, 73, 204–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, Y., & Land, K. C. (2013). Age-period-cohort analysis: New models, methods, and empirical applications. New York: Chapman & Hall.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182-4611, USA

    Jean M. Twenge

  2. Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA

    Ryne A. Sherman

  3. Center for Human Sexuality Studies, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA

    Brooke E. Wells

Authors
  1. Jean M. Twenge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ryne A. Sherman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Brooke E. Wells
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jean M. Twenge.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Jean M. Twenge declares that she has no conflict of interest. Ryne A. Sherman declares that he has no conflict of interest. Brooke E. Wells declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Twenge, J.M., Sherman, R.A. & Wells, B.E. Declines in Sexual Frequency among American Adults, 1989–2014. Arch Sex Behav 46, 2389–2401 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-0953-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-0953-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation