The Great Sex Recession: The number of Americans having sex weekly plummets
In 1990, 55% of adults had sex weekly. By 2010, that proportion dropped below 50%. The survey explained that the drop is due to a decline in steady partners.
Sex weekly
The United States is experiencing a sexual recession. A study by the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) reveals that the proportion of adults having sex on a weekly basis has plummeted in recent decades: in 1990 more than half of those surveyed did so, while in 2024 the figure barely reaches 37%.
In 1990, 55% of U.S. adults aged 18-64 reported having sex weekly. By 2010, that proportion dropped below 50%. In 2024, only 37% of respondents reported weekly sexual activity.
In that regard, the survey explained that the drop is due to a decline in stable partnerships, especially in marriage, and a decrease in sexual frequency within couples.
"The decline in the formation of romantic relationships and decreasing alcohol consumption are the most important [causes of falling young adult sex], but declining earnings and increasing use of computer games also play important roles," the study specified.
According to the data, although married people continue to have sex more often than unmarried people (46% of married people report weekly sexual activity, compared with about 34% of unmarried people), the decline is also affecting married people: between 1996-2008, 59% of married people had sex weekly, a figure that dropped to 49% between 2010 and 2024.
"The findings in this IFS research brief matter because regular sex is linked to better health, higher quality marriages, and greater happiness," the report noted.
Among young people
According to the report, starting in 2010 - in what it calls the digital "Great Reconfiguration" - young people drastically reduced the time they spent in face-to-face cohabitation: from about 13 hours a week in 2010 it dropped to just over 5 in 2024.
This decline is related to the increased use of screens, whether in social networks, video games or pornography consumption, which limits the possibilities of generating romantic relationships.
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