Sexual inactivity has increased among young men in the U.S., reported a new survey study. The findings of the study might have implications for public health.

Sexual health and satisfaction are crucial for health and well-being. Life satisfaction and happiness can be influenced by sexual relationships. And conversely, being sexually inactive has been linked to increased mortality and poor self-reported health.

There has been uncertainty pertaining to sexual inactivity and sexual frequency among U.S. adults. Thus, the researchers sought to examine the trends in reported frequency of sexual activity and number of partners by gender and age, and the link between measures of sexual activity and sociodemographic variables.

The Study:

Young adults in the age group 18 to 44 took part in the General Social Survey (2000-2018)- the U.S. nationally representative survey which was performed for both the genders separately.

The participants were asked to choose their sexual frequency in the past year from the following:

  • sexual inactivity (no sex at all for a year or more)
  • once or twice per year
  • 1-3 times per month
  • weekly or more

They were also asked to list the number of sexual partners they had in the past year (0,1,2, or ≥ 3).

The researchers used logistic regression to find out the association between measures of sexual activity and sociodemographic variables.

Key Findings:

  • 1 of 3 men in the age group 18-24 haven’t had any sex during the past year
  • Men and women in the age group 25-34 reported an increase in sexual inactivity and a decrease in sexual frequency during the past two decades
  • Sexual inactivity increased from 19% to 31% between 2000 and 2018
  • In the age group 25-34, sexual inactivity doubled among men and women in the same two decades
  • Those who remain sexually active are having sex less often
  • Fewer people are having sex at least weekly, especially those with a single-sex partner

The researchers opine that it is very important to distinguish between an increase in the number of people who are sexually inactive and a decrease in sexual frequency among those who are sexually active.

“While the mean sexual frequency among those who were sexually active may reflect their priorities and preferences, sexual inactivity may reflect an absence of sexually intimate relationships, with substantially different implications for public health and society," the lead researcher Dr. Peter Ueda, a physician-researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden told MedicalXpress.

trends in sexual frequency
trends in sexual frequency niekverlaan, Pixabay
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