Around three-fifths (59 percent) of Lithuanians would have sex more often if they had the choice, according to a survey published on Wednesday.
About a third, 31 percent, are satisfied with the amount of sex they are having, while a minority, 5 percent, would like to have sex less often than they do now.
According to the survey, which polled people aged 18-65, eight percent of the respondents have sex daily. More than a quarter (28 percent) do it twice or three times a week. A fifth (19 percent) have sex once a week and 17 percent two to three times a month. Eight percent said they hardly ever had sex.
Presenting the study on Wednesday, psychologist-sexologist Roberta Pečiūraitė said that the results were not surprising, but noted that the quality of sex life has almost nothing to do with the frequency of sex.
"There is usually no number that is healthy, studies around the world show that usually the happiest couples have sex once a week, those who have sex more often do not have any impact on the success of the couple’s relationship,” she said.
“In terms of age, I’m not surprised either that people in their 40s are the group most satisfied with their sex lives. Usually, these couples are more direct in their communication,” the expert added.
The survey also asked people to evaluate their sex lives on the scale from one to ten. The average score was 6.55.
“Sexuality is still a taboo in our country, [...] I always say that we brush these topics under the carpet and then take them out when something happens and we need to talk about them,” said Lina Januškevičiūtė, a psychologist and expert in sexuality education and human rights.
The group least satisfied with their sex lives were respondents with higher education who hardly have sex at all. Meanwhile, the most satisfied group is people with lower education, but sex schedules of two to three times a week or every day.
The survey shows that more than half (54 percent) of respondents link good sex with intimacy with their partner. Forty-one percent think that climaxing is the most important factor for sex to be good. Two out of five (40 percent) refer to feeling passion for their partner. For a third, 32 percent, good sex is about being able to relax during intercourse. Twenty-two percent think that the partner’s effort to give pleasure is crucial for good sex.
The survey also asked about sexual partners. Fourteen percent said they had had sex outside their regular partnership at least once in the last year.
The survey also shows that adults do not feel confident about their ability to talk about sex with children and teenagers: on the scale from one to ten, the average score they gave themselves was 5.77.
The representative survey was carried out by the public opinion and market research company Spinter Tyrimai" between April 18-27. It involved 1,008 respondents aged 18-65 were interviewed online.
The survey was commissioned by Budinti komunikacija.
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