SEATTLE — The Lovers retail chain is kicking off 2020 with the results of its “Sex and the State of the Union,” survey which reveals, among other factoids, that 38 percent of adults simply wish for “a romantic, sex-centered evening with their sweetie” in the months to come.
Along those lines, 32 percent of respondents “hope to do the deed in risky or unexpected places,” while 22 percent merely want to watch adult videos with a chosen partner and 21 percent want to increase role-play in the bedroom.
The survey also uncovered that “more than half” of American adults already own a pleasure device — Midwesterners are also more likely to own a sex toy — and one-in-four “hope to start or expand their collection” in 2020.
“As a retailer, we’re beyond thrilled to see the stigma around sex and intimacy lifting!” said Jessica Ivey, VP of marketing for Lovers. “These survey results mirror what we’re experiencing on the retail side: people are less discouraged by their embarrassment and more encouraged by unlocking their pleasure potential when it comes to fun, sex and intimacy.”
Additional results from the survey include the following:
- 69 percent of Americans have “perceived a positive shift in discussing sex and intimate behaviors openly and honestly in the last decade”
- “Less than half” of America is comfortable with gender fluidity or transgender identity, “but even so, nearly three-quarters have perceived a shift in the overall social norm and acceptance towards those identifying as queer”
- 75 percent of adults are “comfortable with the growing movement and support for female sexual empowerment”
- One-third of adults have “either been in, have thought about or talked about being an open relationship”
- Sex shops are “alive and well,” with 29 percent reporting they’d “gladly visit a brick-and-mortar adult store,” and 45 percent agreeing they would go to an adult store’s website to shop online
Jennie Ketcham Crooks, a therapist and anxiety specialist, is the in-house sexpert for Lovers.
"People are talking about sex moreso now than at any other time in history — it’s also everywhere," she said. "We see it on television and we can access pornographic images on our handheld devices. The mainstream media is more openly discussing all things sex, especially the darker areas of sex after the #MeToo movement, so it makes sense that we are witnessing this uptick in perceived social acceptance."
"We are actually talking about what’s okay and what isn’t okay," she continued, "and as a byproduct of that conversation, we end up having open and honest conversations about sexual habits."
Click here for additional survey results. Find Lovers online and on Twitter.
Image source: BusinessWire
