POLL: American Sex Survey

Sometimes, it's just about sex.
Usually not: The vast majority of Americans are monogamous and happy about it, expressing satisfaction with their sex lives and a broad preference for emotional commitment in sexual relationships. Most by far prefer marriage to the single life.
But there's more to sex in America in 2004 than that 1950s picture suggests.

A groundbreaking ABC News "Primetime Live" survey finds a range of eye-popping sexual activities, fantasies and attitudes in this country, confirming some conventional wisdom, exploding some myths -- and venturing where few scientific surveys have gone before.

Among the results: Fifty-seven percent of Americans have had sex outdoors or in a public place. Half talk with their partners about their sexual fantasies. Forty-two percent call themselves sexually adventurous. Twenty-nine percent have had sex on a first date, and about as many have had an "unexpected sexual encounter with someone new." Fifteen percent of men -- and three in 10 single men age 30 and older -- have paid for sex. About half of women say they've faked an orgasm.

Two-thirds of sexually active Americans sometimes "wear something sexy" to enhance their sex lives, and 30 percent say they and their partner have watched sexually explicit videos. One in five -- around 40 million people -- say they've looked at porn Web sites. As many, men and women about equally, have had "rebound" sex to get over a failed relationship.

In some cases, where activity is less common, fantasy takes over. Among people who are married or living in a committed relationship (or formerly married), 16 percent have cheated on their partner (nearly twice as many men as women) -- while more, 30 percent, have fantasized about it. Fourteen percent of adults (and twice as many single men) have had sex in a threesome, while an additional 21 percent have fantasized about that. Twelve percent have had sex at their workplace, and it's been a fantasy for one in 10 more.

There are other signs of yearning: Among the 55 percent who describe their sexual activity as "traditional," about three in 10 would like to be more adventurous. And more -- four in 10, especially men -- would like more adventurousness in their partners.

The survey also finds huge differences in sexual attitudes between men and women. It underscores the wages of sin: Divorced or separated men are twice as likely to have been unfaithful in their marriage. And it demolishes the notion that singles are swinging: Even among young singles (under 30), nearly half aren't dating at all, and among those who are dating, eight in 10 are dating one person exclusively. Monogamy, again, rules the roost.

Moreover, the survey finds that satisfaction with sex does matter. A statistical analysis identifies some of the factors independently related to satisfaction with sex, marriage and life more broadly. Among other findings, it shows that activities such as discussing fantasies with a partner contribute to an exciting sex life, that an exciting sex life contributes to a happy marriage and that a happy marriage contributes to life satisfaction.

These and other findings in this random-sample telephone poll of 1,501 adults paint a remarkable and intimate portrait of sex in America in the 21st century. Many of the frank and personal questions, from foreplay to fantasy, have rarely if ever been asked before in a representative national survey. Other results comport with previous sex research. The survey is the basis for an exclusive report on sexual attitudes and behavior for the ABC News program "Primetime Live" that aired on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 10 p.m. ET. A second program, based on a separate survey of sexual attitudes and behavior among teenagers, will air at a later date.
Different Planets

If women are from Venus, men are -- well -- men. Seventy percent of men think about sex every day -- double the rate among women. Indeed, 43 percent of men think about sex several times a day; just 13 percent of women do that. Eighty-three percent of men enjoy sex "a great deal"; that falls to 59 percent of women. Women, though, are equally likely to express satisfaction with their sex lives.

Overall, women report an average of six sex partners in their lifetimes; men, 20. But a better gauge of sexual activity for most people is the median, the midpoint between the high and low: Women report a median of three sex partners; men, a median of eight.

The averages are higher because a small number of individuals -- especially men -- report a very large number of partners. Five percent of the men in this sample reported having had 99 or more sex partners, including four who reported 200, three who reported 300 and one who reported 400. Among women, one percent reported 99 or more partners; the high was 100 (reported by two women).

SOURCE: http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/PollVault/story?id=156921&page=1

More: Globalsexsurvey.net