National surveys suggest Americans are having less sex

The observed recent decrease in sexual activity includes that deemed good for strengthening intimate bonds in relationships and types of sex considered bad by most. Experts don’t worry about sexually inactive teens and universally agree that teen pregnancy can derail young lives and lead to challenges like higher rates of poverty and less educational attainment.

But Wolfinger points out implications for well-being related to sexual relationships. “Most people want to be married; an even larger majority aspires to some sort of intimate relationship,” he writes. “Furthermore, Americans are having fewer children than they’d like.”

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