Most adult Canadians are in a committed relationship of some kind and while most are quite happy in those relationships, fewer are sexually fulfilled, a new national sex survey finds.
While 92 per cent of Canadians in a relationship reported being “very” or “somewhat” content, only 73 per cent said they were “very” (42 per cent) or “somewhat” (31 per cent) sexually satisfied, according to the Postmedia-Leger survey.
“I’ll be honest, it’s not every day I’m doing a survey on this kind of topic,” said Andrew Enns, executive vice-president at Leger.
The gap suggests that what goes into making one happy or content with a relationship “doesn’t all necessarily tie back” to the sex, Enns said.
As to how much sex Canadians are having, a quarter (27 per cent) of those polled reported engaging in “sexual activity” at least once a week, and roughly one third reported a once-a-month frequency (14 per cent) or never (15 per cent).
The rarely or never group skewed toward 55-plus Canadians and the not sexually satisfied.
A full 26 per cent of respondents preferred not to answer when asked how often they participate in sexual activity. While “sex seems to be everywhere in our culture,” and Canadians might be more open about discussing sex than previous generations, “the discomfort quickly returns when we scratch the surface,” sociologist Tina Fetner wrote in her 2018 book, Sex in Canada: The Who, Why, When and How of Getting Down Up North.
Among the sexually active, fewer than a quarter overall reported that they incorporate sex toys (23 per cent), porn (22 per cent) or role playing (13 per cent) into their sex lives. Those in sexually satisfying relationships were more likely to use sex toys or role play, while incidents of masturbation and porn use tended to increase among the “not sexually content.”
The survey is also the latest to document a gender gap: Men (82 per cent) were more likely than women (72 per cent) to report they usually experienced orgasms during sex.
Men (31 per cent) were also more likely than women (23 per cent) to say they engage in sexual activity at least weekly, though sexual activity wasn’t defined exclusively as sex with a partner. Men, for example, were more likely than women (53 per cent versus 30 per cent) to report masturbating, and nearly three times as likely to report using porn.
In addition to the gender gap, there also seems to be a cultural divide: Quebecers (32 per cent) were more likely to report engaging in “weekly-at-least” sexual activity compared with those outside Quebec (26 per cent). Paradoxically, Quebecers were not as sexually satisfied in their current relationship as those outside Quebec.
Those in the LGBTQ community “also seem to be having a bit more sex than the heterosexual crowd,” Enns said.
Only five per cent of Canadians overall in the Leger survey were in a consensually non-monogamous relationship, and one per cent were involved in one or more additional sexual or romantic relationships unbeknownst to their partner, according to the Leger survey. Men were more likely than women to report cheating.
People in committed relationships reported more weekly sex (34 per cent) than singles (15 per cent). And despite the rise in polyamory and the “normalization” of non-monogamy, those in open relationships reported having less sex than their monogamous counterparts.
While the survey doesn’t provide time-tracked data, the findings appear to fit with emerging research showing a decline in the rate at which people are having sex. One quarter (24 per cent) of respondents said they were not dating or seeing anyone; 18-to-34s (37 per cent) were least likely to be dating.
The vast majority (81 per cent) of respondents identified as heterosexual and 13 per cent as a member of the LGBTQ community. The remaining said they were uncertain or questioning their sexual orientation or that they preferred not to answer.
Despite the rise of the hook-up culture, where the expectation is sex with no emotional attachment, a majority of respondents (62 per cent) were in a committed relationship, primarily married. Few (three per cent) said they were into casual relationships and fewer still (one per cent) reported having sexual encounters with acquaintances or strangers.
The survey was conducted from Jan. 17 to 19, 2025. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size yields a margin of error no greater than 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
National Post
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