Students’ Sexual Habits

Benjamin Faulkner Translator Maiken Halvorsen Journalist Oda Braar Wæge Illustrator

Sex. It is a common subject of conversation at the Agrarian Metropole, and touches the lives of all students whether you have sex or not. Some of us may have experienced a sexual renaissance during our time at the university. Others may have less sex now than before. For others, the student life has, or continues to be, a time devoid of sexual activity. How much sex do we really have? What differences are there between the students? The pandemic has changed much of student life. Has it also changed sexual habits?

How old are you? 403 replies

30+

27-29

24-26

21-23

18-20

Have you engaged in any sexual activity? 403 replies

No

Yes

We have unearthed the habits of 403 students. This accounts for 6,6% of the students at NMBU. 70,6% of these were female, 80,6% were heterosexual. The majority of these were between the ages of 21 and 26. Of all participants in the survey, 8,2% have not engaged in any sexual activity.

Sexual orientation

Of the forementioned sexual orientation, 13,6% were homosexual, bisexual or pansexual. Four individuals defined themselves as asexual and 17 were unsure of their orientation.

Why not?

Those asked why they have not engaged in sexual activity, replied that they had not “found the right one” or that they “had no desire”. Eight individuals replied that they did not want to or that they hesitated because of fear or shame. Whether it is fear of physical discomfort, risk of falling in love, impurity or disappointment, we do not know. There was no reply whether they had refrained from sex due to religious reasons.

What is your sexual orientation? 403 replies

Polyamorous

Uncertain

Asexual

Heterosexual

Pansexual

Bisexual

Homosexual

Dating

Half of the participants who had not engaged in any sexual activity have not been on any dates either. Several participants replied that they did not know if they had been on any or not. It is not easy to know in this day and age. Have you really been on a date if it was through Tinder? How easy is it to know if it is a date or not, if someone asks you to get a cup of coffee or a beer together?

Relationships

Of those who have not engaged in any sexual activity, over a half of the participants were interested in a relationship. Only 9,1% replied negatively and many were unsure. Being single can be nice, too!

Marital status

Of the ones who had “delved into the world of the birds and the bees”, about half the participants were single, while one individual was “fucking single”. About 40% were either cohabitants or in a relationship. Ten people replied that they were in an open relationship while four were married.

Have you been on a date? 33 replies

Unsure

No

Yes

Are you looking for a relationship? 33 replies What is your marital status? 403 replies

Unsure

No

Yes Other

Single

Dating

It’s complicated

Open relationship

Relationship

Cohabitant

Married

Amount

When it comes to amount of sex partners, there is an equal distribution between the alternatives. Take note of the fact that, among the students who replied, the fraction of them with 17 or more sex partners – was higher than the ones with one sex partner. (Fault in the survey. 20+ should have been 21+)

How many sexual partners have you had previously? 370 replies

No comment

20+

17-21

12-16

7-11

2-6

1

Frequency

The majority of the sexually active students have sex weekly. A minority has sex multiple times a day. If this is a consequence of covid-life, we are unsure, but it is an indication of good stamina! The majority of the students in total have sex weekly or even rarer.

How often do you have sex? 370 replies

Do you know of anyone who has slept with the same person as you have? 370 replies

Rarer

Yearly

Monthly

Weekly

Daily

Multiple times daily

No

Yes, 10+

Yes, 5-10

Yes, 2-4

Yes, 1

On the assumption that the survey is representative of the student mass in Ås, it seems that the most of us are unaware of who may have shared the same sex partner with us. About a quarter knows of one to four others with the same sex partner, and the last 15% are aware of five or more who have slept with the same people. Whether fraternity life is responsible for this trend is unknown to us, but it might have something to do it.

I have felt a stronger need for intimacy and a potential partner under the pandemic than before 33 replies

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The effects of the pandemic on students’ sex lives diverge greatly. On the assumption that “the pandemic has led to less sex than previously”, the amount of those who have answered “agree” or “disagree”, are equal. The remaining 19,2% answered that they neither agree or disagree. It seems that the average sexual activity of students has remained undisturbed by the pandemic. Surprising? One thing that emerges from the survey is that the pandemic has led to a sharp increase in desire for a relationship. Of those who have had sex, the pandemic has resulted in a larger desire to have a relationship, and ¼ of those with no previous sex partner say the same. Probably not so strange in a time where many people are lonelier than before.

To conclude: most of the students at NMBU are sexually active, and most people have sex weekly. The students of NMBU are alike in their answers throughout the survey, but the amount of sex partners varies greatly. So do the answers on how the pandemic has affected their sex life. No matter what rollercoaster ride your sex life has been like, we can safely say that sex will continue to be a subject of conversation at the Agrarian Metropole.

The pandemic has made me desire a relationship 370 replies

The pandemic has led to less sex than usual 370 replies

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