Married and partnered Americans report deepening relationships amidst the pandemic

Washington, DC, July 17, 2020 – A BuzzFeed News/Ipsos poll finds that most Americans’ interest in sex, and frequency of sexual activity, has remained unchanged since coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders began in early March. Furthermore, most are far less concerned about the current state of their sex life than other areas of concern related to the pandemic. Most Americans say they are not lonely right now, and half of single Americans say the pandemic has not made them want a relationship. For those in a relationship, partnered, or married, a plurality report being more in love with their partner than ever before, but around a quarter say they feel more annoyed with their partner than usual.

Detailed Findings   

Most Americans’ interest in sex has stayed the same since early March when stay-at-home orders began. Moreover, concern about their sex life is lower than other potential stressors.

• Three in five Americans say their interest in sex has not changed during stay-at-home orders, and less than 1 in 5 say it has increased (18%).
• Just 23% of Americans say they are concerned about their sex life, while two-thirds or more list the coronavirus pandemic (77%), people in their area not following social distancing guidelines (71%), and their area reopening too soon (67%) as concerns. More than half (54%) are concerned about household finances, and one third (34%) of those with a child in their household say the same for their current childcare situation.

Slightly more Americans are now reporting never having sex in-person in their average week, when compared to before stay-at-home orders were in place.

• Thirty-eight percent of Americans report never having sex in an average week since stay-at-home orders began in early March, compared to 33% who reported the same before the pandemic, a difference of 5 percentage points.
• Of those having sex in-person during stay-at-home orders, the vast majority have done so with a person they live with (79%), rather than a new partner (4%) or a previous partner that lives elsewhere (16%).
• There are no significant differences when it comes to having sex virtually, masturbating, using dating apps, or watching sexual content online before and during stay-at-home orders.

The pandemic has brought few marital or relationship strains.

• By a nearly three-to-one margin, more disagree than agree that the pandemic has made it hard to keep the spark alive in their relationship/marriage (66% and 23%, respectively).
• Eight in ten (81%) feel they can be completely honest with their partner right now, and two-thirds agree that they are more in love than ever before.
• Those who are unmarried but in relationships are split on whether their relationship has gotten more serious (43% agree, 40% disagree).
• Around a quarter (27%) feel annoyed with their partner more than normal, and one in five report fighting with their partner more. However, just 9% say they have considered cheating or having an affair; of those considering, most have not acted on it (72%).

Most Americans do not feel lonely right now, but single Americans are more likely to agree that they do.

• Nearly two thirds of Americans (61%) say they do not feel lonely right now. Older Americans are more likely to feel this way (72% ages 55 years and older) while younger Americans are less likely (51% ages 18-34). Single Americans are more likely to agree that they feel lonely (45%) than those who are married (26%) and the total population (32%).
• Nonetheless, more single Americans disagree than agree that the coronavirus pandemic has made them wish they were in a relationship (47% and 39%, respectively).

Dating app usage in an average week among single and non-monogamous Americans has not changed significantly since early March, but half say how they use it has changed.

• Single Americans or those who are not in a monogamous relationship/marriage during stay-at-home orders, mostly do not use a dating app during their average week (67%).
• Half of Americans using dating apps say the pandemic has changed how they use it (49%).
• Since early March, half (49%) have had sex in-person with someone they met on dating apps, and another 31% have had virtual sex. Around one third have met up in person (35%) or had a virtual date (39%) without having sex.

About the Study   

These are some of the findings of a Ipsos poll conducted between May 26-27, 2020, on behalf of BuzzFeed News. For this survey, a sample of 1,004 adults age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii was interviewed online in English.

The sample for this study was randomly drawn from Ipsos’ online panel (see link below for more info on “Access Panels and Recruitment”), partner online panel sources, and “river” sampling (see link below for more info on the Ipsos “Ampario Overview” sample method) and does not rely on a population frame in the traditional sense. Ipsos uses fixed sample targets, unique to each study, in drawing a sample. After a sample has been obtained from the Ipsos panel, Ipsos calibrates respondent characteristics to be representative of the U.S. Population using standard procedures such as raking-ratio adjustments. The source of these population targets is U.S. Census 2016 American Community Survey data. The sample drawn for this study reflects fixed sample targets on demographics. Posthoc weights were made to the population characteristics on gender, age, race/ethnicity, region, and education.

Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online non-probability polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for all respondents. Ipsos calculates a design effect (DEFF) for each study based on the variation of the weights, following the formula of Kish (1965). This study had a credibility interval adjusted for design effect of the following (n=1,004, DEFF=1.5, adjusted Confidence Interval=+/-5.0 percentage points).

For more information on this news release, please contact:     

Mallory Newall 
Director, US   
Public Affairs   
+1 202 420-2014   
[email protected]     

Kate Silverstein 
Media Relations Specialist, US   
Public Affairs   
+1 718 755-8829   
[email protected]     

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