'SEX RECESSION': Americans have way less sex than ever before: IFS study

The number of Americans having sex on a regular basis is at a record low, a new study has found, with even those who are married experiencing drops in how frequently they have sex. The study found that America is facing a "sex recession."

The Institute for Family Studies (IFS) study, which analyzed data from NORC’s General Social Survey, found that 37 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 reported having sex at least on a weekly basis, if not more. In 2010, that number was 46 percent, and in 1990, that number was 55 percent. 

The data revealed that married couples have more sex than their unmarried counterparts, with 46 percent of married men and women reporting sex weekly compared to around 34 percent of their unmarried counterparts. 

However, the amount of sex being had among married couples has declined in recent decades. Among those couples ages 18 to 29, 83 percent were having sex weekly between 1996 and 2008. From 2010 to 2024, though, that fell to 75 percent. Similar drops were seen across all age categories surveyed. 

The number of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 who reported having no sex in the last year has risen, going from 15 percent in 1990 to 12 percent in 2010, jumping up to 24 percent in 2024. 

IFS noted that young adults in general are spending far less time with their friends, plummeting from 12.8 hours to just 5.1 hours. The study stated, "It's no surprise that this period is also marked by an increase in sexlessness. More time devoted to smart phones, social media, pornography, and gaming meant that young adults had fewer opportunities to develop the social skills needed to form relationships and spent less time in social settings—such as parties—that would facilitate romantic relationships."

Study co-author Brad Wilcox, who is the director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and a senior fellow at the IFS, told the Wall Street Journal, "People are 'bedrotting.'" Shadeen Francis, a sex and relationship therapist in Philadelphia, told the outlet, "We’re experiencing a long-term atrophy of the skills it takes to maintain relationships."

In regards to the increased screentime seen in recent decades with the rise of smartphones, Michelle Drouin, a professor of psychology at Purdue University, Fort Wayne, told the outlet, "You want the first thing you touch when you get into bed to be your partner, not your phone," urging for people to put their phones down and connect.