• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, September 28, 2022

When it comes to other people’s sexual behaviors, Americans are in the dark. A massive new survey from Hims & Hers, the D2C brand focusing on sexual health, reveals most people think they have less sex than other people and that a third say porn has been their primary source of sex education.

Having better sex matters to them, with 63% agreeing that “My overall quality of life would improve if my sex life improved.”

The research also reveals a new and more experimental attitude toward sex. While 22% think more sex would make them happier, 72% say they’re interested in different kinds of sex, and would like to try a recent sex trend. (Roleplay is a top choice.)

Gen Z women are the most open and exploratory. Some 42% do not identify as heterosexual, with 75% saying they are intrigued by one or more emerging sexual trends. That’s two times as curious as older women.

There are also plenty of anxieties. Roughly half (including 50% of men and 47% of women) require more than 10 minutes to reach an orgasm, for an average of 14.09 minutes. And 42% fret that their partner might cheat on them if they don’t have sex often enough.

Three out of four believe other people have sex at least once a week. Only half of Americans do.

The overturning of Roe V. Wade has made a significant impact on people’s sexual behavior. About 82% of the sample support abortion, and many describe themselves as concerned (40%) or angry (37%) about the Supreme Court's move. And 73% worry it will lead to laws restricting other sexual freedoms.

The decision has led 79% to say they’ve changed at least one behavior surrounding sex, such as proactively educating children about sex to having less sex themselves.

Porn plays a curious role. Nearly as many Gen Z women (39%) say they’ve watched porn alone as Gen Z men (43%). Fewer baby boomer women have (8%), but more boomer men (51%).

But porn is a stressor, too, with 53% of the total men saying that porn has changed their perception of sex, including how long they should last.

The company says it fielded the research to get people talking. “Our brand was founded on a strong belief in open and honest discussions about sexual health,” writes Hilary Coles, co-founder and senior vice president of brand innovation, in its report. “Talking about sex is still stigmatized, and tiptoeing around the topic only reinforces feelings of shame and embarrassment.”

The goal, she says, is to “educate people about the realities of sex today, but also enable them to have more control and confidence when it comes to their sex life.”

Research on sexual behavior is notoriously complicated. This report is based on several surveys, including a 5,200-person online survey, of adults between 18 and 65 years old, a sample of more than 700 Hims & Hers customers, and an additional 2,000-person survey following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The report analyzed the findings using 40 different demographic and psychographic cuts, including gender, age, region, race and ethnicity, relationship status, and sexual orientation.