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Primetime Live Sex Survey Has Interesting Findings About Senior Citizens

Oct. 22, 2004 – Last night ABC’s “Primetime Live” aired the results of an extensive survey of Americans about their sex lives and, once again, it finds senior citizens far more conservative in their attitudes about sex than are younger Americans. Only 30 percent of those 65 and older, for example, approve of sex before marriage, while 71 percent of those 18 to 29 say it is OK. A significant difference is when it comes to “cheating,” where far more seniors have done it than younger people.

Generation Gap

Young adults more broadly, whether single or in a relationship, are more progressive sexually. They're more apt to talk with partners about their sexual fantasies; 71 percent do, compared with 45 percent of their elders. They're more likely to describe themselves and their partners as sexually adventurous. They're more apt to look at sexually explicit Web sites (particularly young men — 53 percent have done so, compared with 26 percent of young women).

Attitudinally, 65 percent of young adults say homosexuality is OK for some people, and 71 percent of young adults condone premarital sex (peaking, as noted, at 76 percent of young singles). Seniors are least likely, by far, to agree.

Discussing Fantasies: A Thing of Youth
Age	Discussed fantasies
18-29	71%
30-39	55
40-49	49
50-64	37
65+	22

The Spark

There is clear evidence in this survey that sex loses its spark over time. Among couples who've been together less than three years, 58 percent call their sex lives very exciting. At more than 10 years, only half as many, 29 percent, say so.

Similarly, 79 percent of new couples are "very" satisfied with their sex lives, compared with 52 percent of long-term couples. And 87 percent of new couples enjoy sex "a great deal"; among long-term couples it's 17 points lower.

Not surprisingly, frequency of sex drops as well — at least several times a week for 72 percent of new couples, but just for 32 percent of long-term couples.

The Spark: Sex Lives of Marrieds
	Married < 3 years	Married > 10 years
Have sex at least several times a week	72%	32
Sex life very exciting	58	29
Enjoy sex a great deal	87	70

Cheaters

All told, 16 percent of adults say they've strayed from a committed relationship, including 14 percent who've had sex outside of that relationship, and two percent who've had sexual activity but not intercourse. Twenty-one percent of men say they've cheated, as have 11 percent of women.

As noted, people who are not satisfied with their sex lives are most likely to have strayed, as are single men over 30 (that includes divorced, separated and widowed men, as well as never-marrieds). People 50 and older in general are more likely than younger adults to have cheated.

Cheaters by Age
Age	Cheated
18-29	8%
30-39	11
40-49	15
50+	21

There's a division in motivation among cheaters: Forty-five percent (mostly men) say it was mainly to fulfill a physical desire, while 33 percent (more apt to be women) say it was mainly to fulfill an emotional need.

Nearly seven in 10 cheaters say they stepped out with a friend; 39 percent with someone they just met, 37 percent with a co-worker and 15 percent with a neighbor (multiple answers were accepted). Men and women have cheated with a friend about equally; men are more apt to have cheated with a co-worker or someone they'd just met.

Cheaters are busy: They've had an average of 29 sex partners in their lifetimes (and a median of 12). They're more uninhibited and more permissive — more likely to have watched sexually explicit videos, to have paid for sex, and to have had revenge or rebound sex; and more apt to approve of premarital sex and to say it's OK to have sex without an emotional relationship (45 percent of cheaters say so, compared with 19 percent of others).

 And Finally

Asked their sexual orientation, five percent describe themselves as either homosexual or bisexual. As noted, there's a broad difference among groups on whether homosexuality is "OK for some people." Overall 55 percent say it is, including 65 percent of young adults (and 70 percent of young singles), compared with 40 percent of seniors.

Finally, a sex survey can't be complete without a mention of Viagra and similar drugs. Six percent of sexually active Americans say they or their partner take such medications, with its use rising sharply after age 50. Among men 50 and over, 17 percent — one in six — get a little help.

Methodology

This ABC News "Primetime Live" survey was conducted by telephone, by female interviewers only, Aug. 2-9, 2004, among a random national sample of 1,501 adults. The results have a 2.5-point error margin for all respondents; as in any poll, sampling error is higher for subgroups. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by TNS of Horsham, Pa.

This survey was conducted in one-on-one telephone interviews with a representative sample of adult Americans who agreed to participate in a study of sexual attitudes and behavior. From the point initial respondents were informed of the subject matter, 92 percent went on to complete the entire questionnaire. The demographic composition of the sample closely matches that of ABC News surveys on other subjects, and the data reflect a high level of consistency across questions, and also with previous research.

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