Housing costs are reaching into dating and sex

In this survey study of US adults from 2000 to 2018, sexual inactivity increased among men aged 18 to 24 years and 25 to 34 years and women aged 25 to 34 years during the study period, with the increase among men mainly occurring among unmarried individuals. Men with lower income and with part-time or no employment were more likely to be sexually inactive, as were men and women who were students.

Meaning
This study found that sexual inactivity increased among US adults, predominantly younger men, between 2000 and 2018, with potential public health implications.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7293001/

New Gen Z data puts the “sex recession” back in the spotlight

https://news.iu.edu/kinseyinstitute/live/news/53178-is-the-gen-z-sex-recession-real

The Kinsey Institute surveyed 2,373 Americans ages 18–29 and found that 29% had no sexual partners during the previous three months, while 19% said they had never had a sexual partner. Yet the lack of activity doesn’t appear to be explained simply by people losing interest: nearly 80% reported moderate to very high sexual desire.

Living with parents is becoming a major obstacle to dating and sex

https://news.iu.edu/kinseyinstitute/live/news/53191-the-reason-for-the-gen-z-sex-recession-we-havent

More than one-third of the young adults in the Kinsey sample still lived with their parents. Researchers point to housing costs and lack of privacy as practical barriers to dating and sexual relationships. Sexual desire was similar whether young adults lived with parents or independently.

That connects the sex story directly to the housing crisis.

Only about 30% of young adults are actively dating

https://ifstudies.org/report-brief/state-of-our-unions-2026-the-dating-recession

A nationally representative survey of 5,275 unmarried Americans ages 22–35 found that only about 30% were actively dating. More than half said not having enough money was a barrier to dating. Nearly three-quarters of women and almost two-thirds of men said they had not dated or had only dated a few times during the previous year.

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