SEX IN AMERICA SURVEY (1994)
(a scientific random sample of 3480 U.S. respondents, ages 18-59)
- published in
Laumann, Gagnon, Michael, and Michaels, The Social Organization of Sexuality (1994)
Michael, Gagnon, Laumann, and Kolata, Sex in America (1994)
- how often?
- 1/3 0-3 times per year;
- 1/3 1-3 times per month;
- 1/3 1-3 times per week
- infidelity? 75-80% "NO" over lifetime of marriage (25% males, 15% females)
- median number partners over lifetime?
- 2 for females
- 6 for males
- duration of intercourse? ~15 minutes
- homosexuals? 2-4%
- how often think of sex?
- females: few times per week or month
- males: several times per day or week
- favorite sex?
- vaginal
- watching partner undress
- oral sex (distant 3rd)
- blacks
more conservative: like oral sex less, masturbate less often than whites (probably due to differences educational attainment)
- married
people have more sex, are more satisfied with their sex lives than singles
- Jews
have most partners over lifetime (likely due to higher educational attainment, later marriage)
- no big changes in sexual behaviors due to AIDS