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casual sex was dying out before the pandemic
a study of young adults suggests fewer people are having casual sex.
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friends with benefits are getting harder to come by these days, according to a new study that says a decrease in alcohol consumption is reducing the rate of casual sex among young adults.
the research, published in the journal socius, discovered that the number of men who reported having casual sex in the past month dropped from 38 to 24 per cent between 2007 and 2017. women of the same age experienced a similar drop, from 31 to 22 per cent.
“we find that about one quarter of the drop in young women’s propensity to have casual sex is attributable to a decline in their frequency of drinking alcohol,” the researchers wrote. “of the various sources of the decline in sexual activity considered in this analysis, the decline in alcohol consumption is the only factor that explains a significant portion of the decline in young women’s probability of engaging in casual sex. a somewhat different story emerges for young men.”
for the study, researchers relied on the data of 2,000 young adults, aged 18-23, contained in the 2007-2017 panel study of income dynamics transition to adulthood supplement, which focuses on sexual activity outside of romantic relationships. they used this data to probe whether factors such as economic status, technology, living arrangement and alcohol consumption were taking a toll on the likelihood of hooking up.
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although a drop in drinking poured cold water on casual copulation for both genders, researchers found that — when it comes to men — don’t hate the player, hate the video games. while alcohol reduction accounted for 33 per cent of the drop in sexual behaviour among young men, a growing gaming habit was right behind, contributing to 25 per cent of the decrease. young men who play video games on a daily basis were found to have just half the chance of a casual hookup as those who don’t game.
living at home obviously didn’t help matters much and was the only other significant factor for men, accounting for 10 per cent of the developing dry spell. those still sharing a nest with mom and dad hooked up at just 63 per cent the rate of those who had already flown the coup.
“the recent cohorts of young people adopt adult roles later in their lives and depend on their parents for longer periods,” said lei lei, co-author of the study and an assistant professor of sociology at rutgers. “the declining engagement in casual sex among this age group could be another sign of delayed transition into adulthood.”
in the case of young women, a decrease in alcohol consumption was the only significant factor found to increase abstinence. “although both young women and young men play computer games more frequently now than in the past, gaming inhibits only young men’s casual sex behaviour,” researchers wrote. “the factors hypothesized to explain the decline in casual sexual intercourse explain a greater portion of the decline in young men’s than in young women’s propensity to engage in casual sex.”
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the only factor that seemed to increase the chances of a midnight rendezvous for young men was an increase in alcoholic intake, with those who drank daily hooking up at 5.5 times the rate of teetotalers.
young women would likely have experienced a sharper cutback in copulation if not for the mitigating effect of an increase in internet usage. “we find no evidence that some other transformations in the lives of emerging young adults can explain the decline in their casual sexual activity,” researchers wrote. “trends in young adults’ financial insecurity, including their student debt load, do not appear to underlie their change in casual sexual activity. nor does an increase in time spent watching television.
“and among young women, the increase in the use of the internet appears to actually suppress what would otherwise have been a larger drop in the propensity to engage in sex with someone who is not a romantic partner.”
the researchers said more research is required to improve on the limitations of their study (such as sample size) and determine what is fuelling the decrease in alcohol consumption among these groups. it will also be important to address the effects the #metoo movement and other cultural shifts — or global pandemics — have on young men and women and how they may relate to sexual activity.
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“the new generation of young adults became more individualistic and less social in real life, but more involved in social media and online gaming networks,” said lei. “the changes in how young people socialize affect their opportunity to have casual sex, which often serves as a trial or rehearsal for long-term romantic relationships.”
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
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