Study

ages 25 to 34. In this age group, women became more likely to go a year or more without sex — 7% said they did so in 20002002, compared with 12.6% in 2016-2018. Meanwhile, the proportion of women who had sex at least once a week fell from 66.4% to 54.2%.

Even married people are having less sex now than they did 20 years ago. Both married men and married women became less likely to have sex at least once a week over the study period; instead, they became more likely to have it one to three times per month.

The study authors noted that the survey questions did not define what it means to “have sex.” The trend toward less sex might have little to do with what goes on in the bedroom; instead, it may reflect a shift toward a more narrow view of what qualifies as “sex,” they wrote.

There’s no way to know whether survey takers answered the questions about sex honestly, but that was true in all years and probably didn’t skew the results, the study authors added.

The trend in the U.S. appears to fit a pattern observed elsewhere, the researchers wrote. A study of German men documented a recent increase in sexual inactivity, especially among men ages 18 to 30. In that age group, 20.3% said they had been celibate for at least a year in 2016, up from 7.5% in 2005. In Britain, the percentage of adults who went without sex for at least a month increased between 2001 and 2012. And married couples in Finland, Australia and Britain have all acknowledged having sex less often.

The General Social Survey did not ask people why they were having less sex, but the researchers offered some theories.

It’s “plausible” that the

“stress and busyness of modern life” leaves less time for sex, they wrote. At the same time, the rise of hook-up culture may be responsible for turning some people away from sex, especially women, they added.

Two of their potential explanations were endorsed in a commentary by Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University whose research is focused on teens and young adults.

The first is that American adolescents are taking longer to transition into full-fledged adulthood. As teens, they’re less likely to drive, to have a part-time job, and to consume alcohol now compared with teens of previous decades. As young adults, they’re waiting longer to move out of their parents’ homes and to live with a boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse.

Seen in this context, perhaps it’s no wonder that adults under 35 aren’t having as much sex as their counterparts in years gone by. “Adult activities reinforce each other,” Twenge wrote.

The second likely explanation is that digital media has supplanted the desire for sex. With so many binge-worthy shows, electronic games and social media platforms competing for one’s attention, sex may become an afterthought.

“Although internet sites and social media should theoretically make it easier to find new sexual partners, time spent online has also displaced time once spent on face-to-face social interaction,” Twenge wrote. Even when couples are face-to-face, the practice of “phubbing” — snubbing a partner by looking at a phone — reduces relationship satisfaction, which, in turn, may lead to less sex.

Sexual inactivity is associated with an increased risk of death, so it could be a sign of serious health problems. More importantly, they wrote, “sexual relationships can positively influence life satisfaction and happiness.”