According to a newly released AARP survey, “Sex, Romance and Relationships,” those 45 and older aren’t having as much sex – or as satisfying sex - as was reported in a similar AARP effort in 2004.

Senior Sex Decline
This latest effort found that senior sexual activity declined by 10 percent among married and single partners alike, with 28 percent of the 1,670 surveyed reporting having sex at least weekly, while 40 percent had sex at least once per month. Interestingly enough, singles with partners reported more sex than those who were married, challenging the “marrieds do it more” statistics that sociologists have found for years.

So what’s going on? Why the slump in the sack? Experts cite economic worries, thanks to the recession, as a prime influence on decreased sexual interest and satisfaction. The data seems to support this analysis somewhat, with 14 percent of women and 26 percent of men stating that better personal finances would make for improved sexual satisfaction.

Despite this data not being very strong, headliners have been running rampant with this apparent connection, reinforcing the myth that seniors aren’t into sex. But is too much being made of this one study?

Senior Sex Surveys Dispute AARP Study
After all, the findings run contrary to a great deal of research in the last decade, which has countered notions that the elderly aren’t sexually active and that senior sex isn’t all that. Some prime examples of just how much fun is to be had in the later years include a British Medical Journal survey, showing that more couples over 70 are having not only more sex than previous generations, but more satisfying sex.

Swedish researchers followed the sex lives of 1,500 older people over a 30-year period, finding that a number of married and unmarried men and women were reporting increased sexual intercourse with age. Then there was a 2000 study in the Journal of Women’s Health & Gender-Based Medicine, which reported that 65 percent of women ages 51-64 and 74 percent of women over 65 engage in sexual activity at least once per week.

Most Seniors Satisfied with Sex Life
It has only been six years since the 2004 AARP study, which found that 63 percent of those with a partner described themselves as “extremely” or “somewhat” satisfied. (Note: These participants were also the ones who were the most sexually active well into their 70s and 80s.)

While the drop to 43 percent being sexually satisfied in the recent survey is something to note, perhaps the real focus in reporting should be on the stronger data – that 20 percent of women and 37 percent of men said that better health would contribute to greater sexual satisfaction.

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