Think Zoomers are having more sex than Baby Boomers? Think again.
To mark World Sexual Health Day, researchers in Indiana released the results of a study comparing how much sex each generation is having each month, and Gen Z didn't score highly.
The survey revealed that, among other salacious facts, young people are significantly lagging behind when it comes to being active in bed.
“Nearly half of Gen Z reported being single,” wrote Justin Lehmiller, PhD, a social psychologist and research associate at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. The Daily Mail reported.
This study “The State of Dating: How Gen Z is Redefining Sexuality and Relationships.” Based on data collected from over 3,310 users of the dating app Feeld.
Participants came from 71 countries and were aged between 18 and 75, and were “surveyed about their attitudes, behaviours and experiences towards sex and relationships,” according to the study.
“We tried to contrast sexual identities, relationships, behaviors and preferences.
“Among the youngest and oldest Feeld members,” the researchers wrote.
According to the survey, both Generation X (those born between 1965 and 1980) and Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) had the highest private sex scores, with participants in this age group reporting having private sex an average of five times in the past month.
Meanwhile, Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and Zoomers (born between 1997 and 2012) were tied for last place, with their average of three farts per month.
“Sexual frequency is roughly similar among Gen Z and Baby Boomers, suggesting that both the youngest and oldest adults are engaging in sexual activity the least frequently,” the researchers wrote.
But quantity isn't everything, with a recent survey revealing that Zoomers enjoy no-pants dancing the most.
Interestingly, 50% of Gen Z participants reported being single, “compared to just one-fifth of Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers.”
Despite being less prolific in bed, Zoomers are the most adventurous, with half claiming to have discovered a new sexual fetish since joining Feeld, while 49 percent of millennials, 39 percent of Gen Xers and 33 percent of baby boomers say they've discovered a strange fetish that turns them on.
The researchers offered two explanations for this phenomenon.
“One possibility is that older adults have had more time to learn and discover how to enjoy sex, and so may have already discovered their sexual proclivities,” the researchers wrote, “but another possibility is that today's young people seem to have a greater overall interest in sexual proclivities than their older counterparts, which may lead to a more open attitude toward exploring and learning about their sexual proclivities.”
Equally paradoxical is the fact that studies show Gen Z is nearly twice as likely as previous generations to fantasize about monogamy.
This doesn't seem to square with the contemporary characterization of twentysomethings as polyamorous free spirits who deviate from romantic and sexual norms.
So why is it that young people who travel alone are most likely to idealize monogamy, while middle-aged and older people paradoxically prefer non-monogamy?
The researchers theorized that “older adults may simply be accustomed to monogamy and may feel that it does not suit them.”
“Or maybe after a long period of monogamy, you've simply found yourself craving sexual novelty and newness.”
Quite frankly, absence makes the love grow stronger.
In contrast, Gen Zers are more likely to be single and not sexually active, which is why they glorify monogamy.
This paradoxically old-fashioned yearning for true love is probably also because many Zoomers have never been in a committed relationship with one person, according to the study.
