We ran a research program that uses a variety of research techniques to give us key insights into the way consumers think and feel so we can examine the thoughts, trends and innovations of our sexually active audience.
In 2016, we conducted a sexual wellbeing Global Sex Survey and interviewed 26,000 people, aged 16 and older, across 26 countries including Canada. Here's what we found.
Sex worldwide could be better. Apparently, we have lost our sense of adventure, our libidos and our interest.
60 percent of us say that sex is fun, enjoyable and a vital part of life. However, only 44 percent of people are fully satisfied with their sex lives.
We've established that we become less satisfied with our sex lives as we get older, more for men than women. This is partly because we tend to have sex less often and we have been in relationships for longer.
We tend to find this less exciting and more monotonous. Interestingly, having children doesn't negatively impact satisfaction levels.
In general, we need to be free from stress and be in good mental and physical health.
Achieving orgasm is a key driver of sexual satisfaction. Just 48 percent of our sex survey respondents said that they usually orgasm. Globally, twice as many men (64 percent) as women regularly have orgasms.
Maintaining an erection and having enough lubrication to enjoy sex is another important component according to our findings. Thirty four percent of women questioned have, at some point in their lives, experienced vaginal dryness; 24 percent of men have reported difficulties getting an erection and 29 percent have had problems sustaining one.
Having sex frequently enough also affects satisfaction levels for both sexes, along with having sufficient foreplay. Frequency of sex and sexual satisfaction peaks between the ages of 20 and 34 but it is still important, as people get older: those over 65 are still having sex more than once a week. Frequency of sex differs between countries.
Sexual priorities are changing. We are looking for quality sex time with our partners, romance and sense of security within the bedroom.
Feeling close to your partner, feeling loved, respected and secure, all impact strongly on our ability to achieve sexual satisfaction
Mutual respect plays a vital role in a satisfying sex life. 82 percent of sex survey participants who are sexually satisfied say they feel respected by their partner during sex. 39 percent are looking for more love and romance; 36 percent would like more quality time alone with their partner; 31 percent would like more fun, better communication and intimacy with their partner and 29 percent have a higher sex drive. On the flipside, 37 percent want to feel less stressed out and tired within their sex lives.
Having an exciting sex life is also important for their sexual wellbeing, although this decreases during a relationship. Those who have been in a relationship over 3 years tend to be less inhibited. It's important to try to keep your sex life as exciting as possible. 53 percent of respondents see the benefits of introducing a little experimentation into their sex lives through role-play, massage, sexual fantasies or bondage.
We could all devote more time and energy to our sex lives and adding more romance and fun would definitely help! We can strive to be less inhibited, be more open and become better informed about achieving and giving more pleasure. We should also consider using products that enhance our sex lives. Two-thirds of respondents don't use products to enhance their sex lives, but half of them would like to. We recommend checking out Durex lubes & pleasure gels to help enhance pleasure and deliver wet results, and playful Durex sex toys for additional excitement.
As outlined above, the fundamental elements of sexual satisfaction are as follows:
We all need to have good general health and to be free from stress.
We need to be free from sexual dysfunction.
We need to feel loved, respected, feel at ease and secure in our relationship.
We need to have enough excitement, variety and fun!
There are many ways that Durex can help you to work towards achieving sexual satisfaction. Let's start with Physical and Emotional Health: while this isn't something we can have a direct impact upon, we fully understand its importance. We'd suggest that you take some time to consider this element and how this may be affecting your personal satisfaction levels. With regard to Physiological Issues, you can explore our products to help overcome both male and female sexual dysfunction. We also recommend checking out our Out Of Sync Sex Drives? How To Deal With Mismatched Libidos article for tips that can help get everyone in the mood and stay stimulated.
We hope the findings from our sexual satisfaction survey have been both interesting and relevant. Hopefully it will give you a better idea of how to achieve ultimate satisfaction. It's a combination of both physical and emotional elements and having an understanding of what works best for you. For most of us, this may be injecting some fun and adventure back into our sex lives. What this sex survey does prove is that frequency of sex isn't the key driver of sexual satisfaction.
Sign up for exclusive sex tips, offers, contests and more from Durex to help empower your sexual journey.
Sign up for exclusive sex tips, offers, contests and more from Durex to help
SIGN UP