Hi-Tech Virtue? Shocking Study Reveals US Millennials’ Sexual Habits

Contrary to what mom and dad might think, new research has revealed that US youth, born in the early 1990s, are less likely to engage in casual sex than members of their parents’ generation were.

According to the study by Dr. Ryne Sherman, Assistant Professor of Social Psychology at Florida Atlantic University and Dr. Brooke Wells, of Widener University, those who are now in their 20s are three times less likely to be sexually active than their parents were at the same age.

Data was gathered from some 27,000 respondents from various generations, and reveals that 15% of so-called Millennials aged 20 to 24 had not had any sexual partners since turning 18.

This same figure for the generation dubbed "Generation X," including those born in the mid-1960s to early 1970s, is almost three times less, at only 6%. The survey for this older set of respondents was performed when they were at exactly same age, and they were asked exactly the same questions as the current respondents.

"This study really contradicts the widespread notion that Millennials are the 'hookup' generation, which is popularized by dating apps like 'Tinder' and others, suggesting that they are just looking for quick relationships and frequent casual sex," said Sherman.

"Our data show that this doesn't seem to be the case at all and that Millennials are not more promiscuous than their predecessors."

The only population that was found to have been less sexually active than today's young people, is the generation of people born in 1920s.

While some experts credit the downturn in sexual promiscuity to social media, as today's young adults simply spend less time being physically in one another's company, the authors of this latest study suggest that the explanation lies instead in a combination of  an "historically high" portion of young adults living with their parents and easy access to instant entertainment and online pornography.

"This has very little to do with changing norms about sexual behavior; the generations are just different and it has everything to do with them," Sherman said.