About 1 in 3 young men in the United States report having no sexual activity in the past year, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open. The study indicates that sexual inactivity has increased and sexual frequency had decreased over the past two decades.
“The dating landscape and other associated aspects of our lives have changed dramatically in recent decades; due to the introduction of online dating and dating apps and changes in the labor market, the rise of social media, how entertainment that may compete with sex is consumed and trends in life choices such as if and when to get married,” said study author Peter Ueda, an assistant professor in epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute.
“The distribution of sex in populations has been subject to much speculation and in this study, I think, we address some questions that lay people may have about the distribution of sexual activity and number of partners.”
For their study, the researchers analyzed data from 10 waves of the General Social Survey, an annual survey of US adults 18 years or older. The survey included the questions, “About how often did you have sex during the last 12 months?” and “How many sex partners have you had in the last 12 months?”
Ueda and his colleagues found that most men and women reported having had weekly or more, but they observed decreases in sexual activity among individuals aged 18-44 years between 2000 and 2018.
“There were two main findings. The first was that among those who were sexually active, the frequency of sex had gone down, so people were having less sex on average than before,” Ueda told PsyPost.
“The second finding which was more important was that the proportion who reported no sex at all during at least one year prior to survey participation had increased, and this increase occurred to a large part among younger men,” he continued.
Between 2000 and 2018, the percentage of heterosexual 18- to 24-year-old men who were sexually inactive in the past year jumped from 18.9% to 30.9%. The percentage of 25- to 34-year-old men and women who were sexually inactive in the past year increased to a lesser extent as well.
“It is important to distinguish between a decrease in sexual frequency among those who are sexually active and an increase in those who do not have sex at all. 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 individuals and society,” Ueda explained.
“Men with lower income and with part-time or no employment were more likely to be sexually inactive. It seems like in the United States and elsewhere, there is a proportion of the population who do not establish themselves in society, in the labor market and perhaps also in the dating market.”
But the reasons for increase in sexual inactivity remain unclear. In addition, there is scant research on the consequences of such inactivity.
“A key question is to what extent sexual inactivity is associated with dissatisfaction. While being sexually inactive is a choice for some individuals, it could be a source of distress for others. Sexual inactivity and potential dissatisfaction with it seem to be sensitive topics, perhaps more so than sex,” Ueda told PsyPost.
“Research on sexual health has mostly focused on sexually active individuals, with some surveys excluding inactive participants from answering questions about feelings about their (absence of) sex life. Given that sexually intimate relationships are important for many (though certainly not all) people’s well-being and quality of life and the substantial proportion of individuals who are sexually inactive, as shown in our study, we need more knowledge about reasons for, and potential feelings about, sexual inactivity.”
The focus on the fringe incel subculture — a portmanteau of the term involuntary celibates — has not helped matters.
“Unfortunately, I think, the public discussion on this topic has not been nuanced, with many stories focusing on destructive niches of internet subcultures of heterosexual men, despite such individuals constituting only a miniscule minority of those who are sexually inactive. Sexual inactivity (if not voluntary) might be a sensitive topic because it entails sexual desires, and for some individuals, a sense of rejection and insecurity. Sexual inactivity should not be subject to shame or ridicule,” Ueda explained.
“While much work has been done to promote a frank and nuanced discussion about sex and sexual activity, it would be in our best interest to also be better at talking about not having sex. We need to improve the public discussion regarding this topic.”
The study, “Trends in Frequency of Sexual Activity and Number of Sexual Partners Among Adults Aged 18 to 44 Years in the US, 2000-2018“, was authored by Peter Ueda, Catherine H. Mercer, PhD; Cyrus Ghaznavi, BA; Debby Herbenick