WHY IS THERE A SEX RECESSION?

Why is nobody having as much sex as they used to? Across multiple large surveys people, especially younger, are having much less sex than previous generations did at the same age. In the US General Social Survey, the share of adults 18–64 having sex at least weekly fell from 55% in 1990 to 37% in 2024. Among 18–29-year-olds, the share reporting no sex in the past year roughly doubled from ~12% around 2010 to 24% in 2024. Similar rises in sexlessness appear in National Survey of Family Growth data for people in their 20s and early 30s. The pattern shows up in other high-income countries too. A big driver is fewer people living with a partner; partnered adults have sex more often, and even married couples report somewhat lower frequency than they used to. Screens, later independence from parents, and delayed dating/marriage are commonly cited contributors. But why? 📺 WHY NOBODY IS HAVING SEX ANYMORE (& WHY IT MATTERS) Dr Debra Soh with Chris Williamson (1m views) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZfEvx4-7SE 📰 IS THE SEX RECESSION OVER? https://ifstudies.org/blog/is-the-sex-recession-over 📰 15 COUNTRIES WITH DECLINING BIRTH RATES IN 2024 https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/15-countries-declining-birth-rates-171707716.html 📰 LET GEN X FIX THE SEX RECESSION We created the problem; we might have the solution https://unherd.com/2026/09/let-gen-x-fix-the-sex-recession/ 📰 BRITISH PEOPLE ‘HAVING LESS SEX’ THAN PREVIOUSLY https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48184848 📰 AMERICANS ARE HAVING LESS SEX The number of Americans having sex has dropped to record lows, signaling a potential sex recession, according to a recent study from the Institute for Family Studies (IFS). https://www.newsweek.com/americans-having-less-sex-birth-rate-decline-young-people-2122560 📰 THE SEX RECESSION: THE SHARE OF AMERICANS HAVING REGULAR SEX KEEPS DROPPING https://www.americansurveycenter.org/news/the-sex-recession-the-share-of-americans-having-regular-sex-keeps-dropping/ 🤔🍺 Politics in the Pub is a non-partisan political discussion group for intellectual discussions on the issues of the day by anyone and everyone interested in politics. We meet in some of London’s most beautiful pubs to engage in high-quality, good-faith discussions on sometimes provocative topics, including every sort of politics imaginable, economics, psychology, sexuality, and philosophy. Be warned, though: we’re unbound by conformity; we champion freedom of thought, expression, and assembly. Mutual tolerance, if not necessarily mutual respect, is our cornerstone, and we aim to be a haven for civil dissent, blending rigorous debate with camaraderie, which we imagine will appeal most to professionals seeking unorthodox dialogue in a social setting. So grab a drink 🍷🍹🫖🍺🍻 and join us. THE SLIGHTLY LONGER ABOUT US 🤔🍺 Politics in the Pub is 100% non-partisan, and as such we’ll cover whatever subjects we want to at our events, whether they’re from the left, right, centre, or otherwise. So, if you’re looking for a group whose membership exactly matches your political outlook in every possible conceivable way, whatever your outlook happens to be, then prepare for a shock. That being said, it is a matter of near metaphysical certainty that you will hear opinions and views that you do not hold or may disagree with, so it’s worth bearing in mind that this is a ‘political discussion group’, not a ‘browbeat-or-shout-people-into-submission group’. We’ll do our best to make you welcome, but you’ll be judged on your behaviour as well as your arguments, so please take some care with both. And if your arguments are not persuasive and you find yourself tempted into name-calling, do not expect that to work either… You’re at the adult table now.