Study reveals how often couples in the US are actually having sex

Let’s get this out of the way first: your sex life is your business. Always. Whether you’re doing it daily or barely at all, there’s zero obligation to keep up with anyone else, or their assumptions.

And yet, sex has a funny way of capturing our collective curiosity.

It’s awkward, intriguing, and endlessly discussed. How much sex are people having? Should couples be concerned if they aren’t having 'enough' sex? How much sex is 'enough?'

It can be mind-boggling. Still, there’s one question in particular that pops up time and time again, how much sex are long-term couples really having?

A new poll has shed light on this matter, giving us a fascinating peek into the sex lives of Americans… and the results may surprise you.

Couples are revealing how often they really have sex (Getty Stock Image)

A total of 2,000 US adults in a relationship or married revealed the truth about their sex lives.

The results showed that 25 percent of American couples have sex once per month, or less. But 14 percent of the adults polled said their sex lives were 'unsatisfying'.

After crunching the numbers, it seems the average couple does the deed four times each month for 18.6 minutes each time according to the poll. This adds up to 15 hours over the course of the year.

Gen Z are the most active, doing the deed 5.3 times per month. Millennials on the other hand aren’t too far behind at 5.1 times per month. And yet 71 percent of those polled reported being satisfied with their sex lives, and 43 percent said they felt 'extremely satisfied'.

One key takeaway from the survey, commissioned by LELO and conducted by Talker Research, showed that what happens outside the bedroom doesn’t stay there.

On average, respondents said they go on 2.4 date nights a month, though a striking 27 percent admitted they have none at all.

A clear trend soon emerged once the data was broken down by sexual frequency - the more date nights a couple had often meant more action between the sheets.

The results may surprise you (Getty Stock Image)

The couples that reported having sex 'very frequently' (eight or more times each month) were the biggest fans of date night, reporting an average of 3.5 per month.

On the flip side, Americans who said they have sex “rarely” (0-1 times per month) also reported having the fewest number of evenings out as a couple, just 1.2 times every month.

As lifestyles continue to evolve, becoming busier and increasingly tech-driven, sex lives are feeling the impact. The findings also pointed to a link between digital communication and intimacy, with couples who texted each other more frequently reporting more frequent sex. Those who have sex “very frequently” were also more likely to report being in “constant” communication with their partner via text (35%).

By contrast, those who said they “rarely” have sex were also the least likely to be in regular text contact with their partner, with just 9% staying in constant communication.

Ultimately, there’s no magic number when it comes to sex, date nights, or daily check-ins. What works for one couple won’t work for another, and that’s OK.