ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A new poll, crapping out age-old stereotypes about the sex lives of older Americans, says 40 percent of people between the ages of 65 and 80 are sexually active.
In addition, nearly three-quarters of people in this age range have a romantic partner and 54 percent of those with a partner are sexually active. Whether or not they have an active sex life, nearly two-thirds of older adults say they’re interested in sex, and more than half say sex is important to their quality of life.
Those findings were made by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, which conducted the poll that was sponsored by AARP and Michigan Medicine, UM’s academic medical center.
The findings, released today, are based on online answers from about 1,000 participants around various parts of the U.S. who are aged between 65 and 80.
“This survey just confirms that the need for and interest in sexual intimacy doesn’t stop at a certain age,” says Alison Bryant, a senior vice president of research for AARP.
The poll explored how older adults might seek help or advice for sexual problems, and if they’ve talked with their doctors about their sexual health.
In all, 18 percent of older men and three percent of older women say they’ve taken supplements to improve sexual function in the past two years.
“Sexual health among older adults doesn’t get much attention but is linked closely to quality of life, health and well-being,” said UM’s Erica Solway, Ph.D., co-associate director of the poll.
Solway noted there are also differences within age groups. Those between the ages of 65 and 70 were nearly twice as likely as those in their late 70s to be sexually active. One-third of those in their late 60s said they were extremely or very interested in sex, compared with 19 percent of those in their late 70s.
The gender gaps that emerged reveal some differences that may create challenges for relationships, Solway said. For instance, women were less likely than men to be sexually active — 31 percent overall, compared with 51 percent of men — but were more likely to be extremely or very satisfied with their sex lives. And while 84 percent of older men said sex was an important part of a romantic relationship, 69 percent of older women agreed with that statement.
But the biggest gender difference was the percentage of those who said they were extremely or very interested in sex, Solway said. Half of men aged 65 to 80 said they had this level of interest, compared with just 12 percent of women in the same age range.
