Gay, lesbian and bisexual people masturbate more than straight people
File photo. Participants wave the gay rights movement’s rainbow flags in central Kyiv during the LGBT Equality march on June 18, 2017 (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty)
People that identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual masturbate 23 percent more weekly than people who identify as straight, according to a report.
The study, by sexual pleasure brand TENGA, looked at people’s attitudes toward sexual pleasure and found that not only do LGBT people masturbate more than their straight counterparts, they also talk more about sex as well.
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The survey, which was conducted between February and March, polled people in 18 countries including the UK, the US, France and Kenya.
The study found that 86 percent of heterosexual respondents said they had tried masturbating, compared to 97 percent of gay, lesbian or bi respondents.
Only 42 percent of heterosexual people have admitted they had talked about sex with their friends or significant other, while 71 percent of gay, lesbian or bi respondents said they had, which shows more willingness on their part to discuss sex and sexual pleasure.
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When it comes to masturbation, more than a third of the UK population (37 percent) indulges weekly.
15.3 years old is the average age at which UK teens experience solo pleasure for the first time.
And people masturbate more than we thought.
Respondents estimated that about 65 percent of men and woman masturbate regularly in the UK, but the figure is much higher: 78 percent.
49 percent of all UK respondent said they believed masturbation was good for the health. Compared to other countries surveyed as part of the research, it shows a positive attitude towards masturbation.
In the US, 59 percent of respondents thought the same, but in Nigeria, 43 percent of respondents said they didn’t think masturbation was good for one’s health.
Among other findings, it was revealed 15 percent of the British population had masturbated while commuting, be it by car, train or plane, at some point in their life.
Brits are also the biggest users of sex toys: 28 percent of Brits use them. The second biggest consumer of sex toys is the US, with 27 percent.
The research also looked into sex education.
Results show that although puberty, anatomy, safe sex and pregnancy are widely discussed in sex education in the UK, other issues are not as prominently talked about.
- Condoms are displayed during an event to mark International Condom Day in New Delhi on February 13, 2017. (SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty)
40 percent of respondents aged between 18 and 34 years old said they discussed sexual consent during sex ed, but only 22 percent of 35-54 year olds said they have done the same.
Only 9 percent of people between 35 and 54 years old have discussed sexual assault and harassment during their sex-ed programmes.
Only 14 percent of people above 55 said they discussed masturbation during sex ed, while 16 percent of 35-54 and 22 percent of 18-34 year olds have.
Questions about masculinity also had interesting results.
UK men are less likely to feel pressured into “acting like a man” than a country like Kenya, where 70 percent of male respondents said they felt they had to act a certain way.
The results show how “men who feel more” – such as expressing how they feel, being in touch with their emotions and discussing mental health – have better sex lives than men who “feel less.”
