An unprecedented look inside the sex lives of Canadians

In today’s Big Story Podcast, there’s simply never been a Canadian sex survey that’s comprehensive, scientific and intimate all at once. For decades we’ve relied on data from the United States, unscientific surveys thrown together by brands around Valentine’s Day or specific looks at one narrow aspect of sexuality — such as contraception or monogamy.

In her new book released on Valentine’s Day, Sex in Canada: The Who, Why, When, and How of Getting Down Up North, McMaster University sociology professor Tina Fetner examines every aspect of how we do it, who we do it with, how often and if it’s good. 

“We tend to have some moral panics about sexuality. And the more we have kind of a factual basis of sexual behaviour for average Canadian, we can move away from misunderstandings about our sexuality and really understand what regular Canadians do,” said Fetner.

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Some facts from the survey

Does being married ruin your sex life? Yes and no?

• 45% of singles reported that they received oral sex in their most recent sexual encounter, but only 29% of married people said the same
• 78% of married people reported that they had an orgasm in their most recent sexual encounter, while only 66% of singles reported the same
•  87% of married people said they are happy with their sex life, and 79% of singles said the same

Do singles have more sex than married people? No!

• 56% of married people had sex this month, compared to 35% of singles 

Drinking and sex

• About 20% of Canadians said they were drinking alcohol prior to their most recent sexual encounter
• Young adults are no more likely than older Canadians to drink alcohol before having sex

Cuddling

• Canadians love cuddling, 69% said that their most recent sexual experience included cuddling

Faking it

• Just under one-quarter of women (23%) who did not have an orgasm in their most recent sexual experience said that they faked one

However, most of our participants did report having an orgasm in their most recent encounter, so faking it is the exception, not the rule. Among all participants recalling their most recent sexual encounter, only 7% of women reported faking it.