There are a lot of differences between the generations. Whatsapp or Snapchat? Facebook or Instagram? Crippling student loan debt or even bigger crippling student loan debt? But one difference that you may not have thought of is our sex and masturbation habits. The 2019 SKYN Condoms Sex & Intimacy Survey asked 2,000 Gen Z adults, aged 18 to 22, and millennials, aged 23 to 38, in the US and Canada about their sex and masturbation habits and preferences. And there was a lot of information.
It's full of all sorts of juicy tidbits — like the fact that the average responder masturbates three times a week or that 50 percent of people have used DMs on social media for sexting purpose, meaning that sliding into the DMs is very much a reality. But one of the most interesting things about the survey was SKYN Condoms looked at the differences between millennials and Generation Z respondents — and there were some big differences. “Gen Z adults are fast becoming the majority of our customer base,” Jeyan Heper, Chief Executive Officer of LifeStyles Healthcare, said in a press release. “This year’s survey has unveiled key learnings surrounding the sexual preferences, trends and desires of this growing demographic. These insights will ultimately serve to further drive innovation and help us continue creating products that heighten intimacy and promote better sexual experiences for every generation.”
How do these youngster Gen Zers differ from decrepit millennials like me? Here's what the survey found.
1Gen Z Is More Likely To Use Condoms
They may be younger, but Gen Zers also seem to be smarter. About 65 percent of Gen Z respondents said that they use condoms “all of the time” or “some of the time”, while unfortunately only 54 percent of millennial participants answered the same. To be honest, both of those percentages could be higher, but Generation Z is definitely showing millennials up.
2Gen Z Was Less Likely To Give Up Social Media
When asked if they'd rather give up sex or social media for a year — which to me seems very clear — there was a definite difference between the generations. Fifty-five percent of Gen Z respondents said they'd rather give up social media — so almost a 50/50 split. Meanwhile, 67 percent of millennials said the same, with only around a third saying they'd give up sex.
3Gen Zers Start Younger
Gen Zers are becoming sexually active earlier than their millennial counterparts. The average age for becoming sexually active was 16 for Gen Z respondents, while most millennials started at 18.
4Millennials Fake Fewer Orgasm
Gen Z might start younger, but they're almost more likely to fake it. Ten percent of Gen Zers said that they fake orgasms all of the time — while only six percent of millennials said the same. Come on guys, it's 2019 — orgasm equality for all!
5Gen Zers Are More Up For Threesomes
When it came to threesomes, neither generation was super excited about the prospect, but more Gen Zers were open to the idea. Forty-two percent of Gen Z responders said they would consider having a threesome, in comparison to 30 percent of millennials.
6Fewer Millennials Have Used Plan B
There's nothing wrong with plan B and it's often not a choice, so it feels like a kind of odd statistic to compare, but the survey found that 16 percent of Gen Z participants reported having used an emergency contraceptive more than once in the last 12 months, while only nine percent of millennials had done the same.
Every generation is different than the one before, but we don't often think of differences in the sexual arena. But from using condoms to faking orgasms, some of us definitely show our age — for better and for worse.
