Health and Medicine
PUBLISHED
Are young people having less sex? Talk of a “sex recession” among Gen Z individuals has circulated in the media, but now a new survey has tackled the question head on.
Led by Indiana University's The Kinsey Institute, with funding and support from Playboy and Julie, it surveyed a diverse sample of 2,373 adults in the United States aged between 18 to 29. The questions centered around sex, dating, and relationships, revealing some eye-opening statistics.
As with any survey based on just one population, caveats abound, but the results raise interesting questions about how sex is faring in the modern world. Sexual wellbeing can be an indicator of everything from public health to how wider social and economic factors are affecting people’s lives. So, what do the stats have to say?
The interactive report presented by Playboy suggests the Gen Z sex recession is real, with the majority of participants reporting low levels of sexual activity. Of those asked, 29 percent had zero partners in the last three months, meanwhile 19 percent had never had a partner.
Given the modern landscape, it’s perhaps unsurprising. Cost of living crises have been reported across the globe, and as job markets make it difficult for young people to establish independence, many are moving back home. Something you don't need science to tell you can hamper opportunities for romance.
Finance certainly appeared to be a concern for those surveyed, as 43 percent said money worries made it harder for them to date and maintain relationships. Stress related to financial difficulties may also be having an effect, with 37 percent reporting it negatively affected their sex life.
These statistics didn’t appear to be down to a lack of sexual desire, which was reported to be moderate to high. However, only 18 percent said they were unsatisfied with their sex life, suggesting regular sex may be less central to wellbeing than has been historically assumed.
Here, too, we may find clues in Gen Z lifestyles that, according to the survey, are meeting intimacy needs in other ways. An increasingly digital world provides novel opportunities for connection, with everything from messaging to sexual experiences going virtual.
This can be person-to-person, but in the age of generative artificial intelligence (AI) that now includes potentially risky relationships with chatbots and avatars (who could forget the attempted assassination of the Queen of England?).
But the picture isn’t necessarily as Black Mirror as it sounds, as it could simply be there are now more ways to fulfil a need that once required skin-to-skin contact.
Speaking of, the survey results suggested that what sex the Gen Z participants were having wasn’t necessarily as safe as would be ideal. Just 35 percent reported using condoms, and around a third said they had never been tested for STIs.
Though The Kinsey Institute states it used quota-based sampling to capture a diverse range of voices, questions remain as to how generalizable the survey’s findings are to the wider US and beyond. The survey also doesn't provide data from a historic survey to compare against.
Still, the stats raise interesting questions as to how the sexual landscape is changing in the modern era. As technological advances increase ways to connect, are we moving away from the need for face-to-face interaction? Or in the age of phubbing, should we be prioritizing socializing in the flesh? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
