Coronavirus means less sex – for Chinese, Americans, British, Turkish
- Survey in Turkey shows pattern consistent with findings in China, US and Britain: people are having sex less often and fewer partners
- Results suggest people are afraid of spreading Covid-19 during sex, researchers say
A survey of Americans this month by dating website Match.com found that more than 70 per cent of single Americans did not have sex at all from March to October, while a US study by the Kinsey Institute in June found Americans in general were having less sex – one reason being tension between couples isolated together at home.
Researchers said in July that British people’s sexual desire had been found to have declined immediately after they were subjected to lockdown measures in spring – before later rebounding after extended spells of isolation as people used sex to “ease stress and anxiety or overcome boredom”.
And a nationwide survey in Turkey has suggested the pandemic has reduced sexual activity significantly. The pattern among the country’s population, which is predominantly Muslim – meaning homosexuality, affairs and sex before marriage are forbidden – was the same as for other races and faiths, with the average frequency of sex among adults declining from nearly twice a week to slightly over once, researchers found.
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Governments in some countries have issued guidance for safe sex during the pandemic. Dr Theresa Tam, the chief public health officer in Canada, recommended avoiding kissing, and wearing a mask when being intimate with a stranger or anyone at risk from Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.