thanks Carrol! Doug posted an article three years ago, US Male Doesn't Deliver. I forwarded it elsewhere, it prompted some discussion, so I looked up the study to which this thread referred. This is what was in my archives, based on research in the book by Michael, Gagnon, Lauman & Kolata, 1995. it was a median (50% more, 50% less) not a modal (most frequent) response. My bad.
Mean # of partners since age 18:
All 7
Men 12 Women 4
Married 6 Widowed 3 Divorced 13 Separated 12 Never Married 7
18-29 6 30-39 9 40-49 10 50-59 9 60-69 5 70+ 4
How often do Americans have sex?
About 1/3rd have sex with a partner at least twice a week About 1/3rd have sex with a partner a few times a month About 1/3rd have sex with a partner a few times a year or not at all
Overall, men have sex an average of 7 times a month Women have sex an average of 6 times a month
Which group has sex the most frequently?
Married couples or couples who live together
Married couples also reported being the most physically
pleased and emotionally satisfied with their sexual partner
How frequently do married couples have sex?
7 times a month
How often do people achieve orgasm during sex with their primary partner?
90% of men report achieving orgasm "usually" or "always"
70% of women report achieving orgasm "usually" or "always"
Receiving oral sex:
77% of men and 68% of women received oral sex from their
partners at some point in their lives
27% of men and 19% of women said that they received oral sex
the last time they had sex
Giving oral sex:
79% of men and 73% of women had performed oral sex on their
partner at some point in their lives
28% of men and 20% of women performed oral sex on their
partner the last time they had sex
How many people have anal sex?
26% of men and 20% of women said that they had anal sex at
some point in their lives
10% of men and 9% of women said that they had anal sex
within the past 12 months
Which sexual behaviors do Americans like the most?
78% of men and 83% of women (ages 18 to 44) rated vaginal
intercourse as "very appealing"
M W watching partner undress 50 30 receiving oral sex 50 33 giving oral sex 37 19 group sex 14 1 using vibrator 3 5 watching others have sex 2 6 same gender sex partner 3 4 sex with stranger 1 5
How many sexual partners do Americans have?
50% of people 30-50 years old report having over 5 sexual partners in their lives
20% of men and 31% of women reported having only 1 sexual partner since age 18
21% of men and 36% of women reported having 2 to 4 sexual partners since 18
23% of men and 20% of women reported having 5 to 10 sexual partners since 18
16% of men and 6% of women reported having 10 to 20 sexual partners since 18
17% of men and 3% of women reported having over 21 sexual partners since 18
How often do people masturbate?
58.3% of women and 36.7% of men report that they never masturbate
How often do people think about sex?
54% of men and 19% of women reported that they thought about sex at least once a day