Swinging Sexties
Most over-65s aren’t getting enough, welcome to the...
It’s Valentine’s Day... so tonight could be the night for the bold and grey lovers looking to become generation sex and get more action in the bedroom.
A poll of over-65s shows just 28% are happy with their sex lives, while 51% are not getting enough.
Even among the over-80s, 53% said they were not having enough sex, according to the research by Censuswide for older people’s charity Independent Age.
Lucy Harmer, of Independent Age, says: “Age is no barrier to having a sex life, and a lot of older people are more sexually active than many people may think.”
The poll also reveals over-65s are not shy when it comes to dating, with 30% admitting having sex on a first date since turning 65, or saying they would consider it.
And one in 10 over-75s said they’d had multiple sexual partners since turning 65.
When it comes to getting older, 16% of over-65s believed sex got better with age, 43% thought it did not change and 27% thought it got worse. Sex was the most important part of a relationship for 16% of men, but just 3% of women.
If they had to think of a reason they would stop having sex, 47% said it would be because of health concerns, while 17% said it would be the lack of opportunity.
Sexual satisfaction among the over-65s was best in Belfast, where 44% said they got enough, compared to Edinburgh, which was worst at 21%.
Brighton was second in the satisfaction league, with 34% of over-65s saying they got enough action, while in Newcastle, only 22% were satisfied.
The most common ways for couples in their over-65s to meet were through mutual friends (25%) and then through work (17%). Just 5% overall said they met online, but for those who had started a relationship in the past four years, that jumped to 23%, while if they had been in a relationship between four and 10 years it was 34%.
When it comes to using protection, around 9% said they did not take any precautions against sexually transmitted infections when having sex with a new partner.
The over-65s valued friendship more than sex, with 70% saying it was the most important element of a relationship.
A hug was the next most important thing (43%), followed by romance (27%), and sex (10%).
Handing down their wisdom to the next generation, 29% of over65s thought having a romantic meal at home was the best way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, followed by getting a loved-one a gift (28%).
Just 11% said sex was the best way to celebrate the big day today. An overwhelming majority of those polled – 92% – believed that being in a relationship, sexual or otherwise, reduced loneliness.
Lucy adds: “Strong relationships are important in later life, and ideas about friendship, romance and intimacy may well change throughout life.
“Close relationships can offer emotional support, and can make a difference by staving off loneliness and giving you resilience and support to get through difficult patches in life.
“However, sex, dating and relationships can be complex, and that does not stop when we get older.”