“Singles' sexual activity is like economic activity. Since the end of confinement, it has resumed gradually but not at the same level. "François Kraus, director of the" Gender, sexualities and sexual health "pole at Ifop, dares to compare these two indicators in slow motion ... The institute wondered about the sex life of these French solo deconfined:" Big scare or great relaxation? "Objective: to know if the meetings and the sexuality of singles remain slowed down by the fear of the coronavirus or if the tendency would rather be generalized debauchery, product of an unprecedented frustration during confinement.
The results of the Ifop survey ( Editor's note: study for Pornhub carried out from June 9 to 12 with a sample of 3,018 people, representative of the population aged 18 and over ) clearly show that we are far of an orgy of lust. Among singles, the trend that points is rather a return to what they already know: the ex (or an occasional partner)! They are thus 25% to have made the beast with two backs with this profile (on the 29% having had at least one sexual intercourse since confinement). “It's kind of safe sex . Singles thus have the impression of knowing the share of risk. They are in a logic of sexual security and satisfaction ”, decrypts François Kraus. No surprises under the duvet, and that's reassuring. New encounters, we forget for the moment.
Two explanations for this. First, "the pool of potential new partners has been reduced", observes the manager at Ifop. It is true that meeting places, especially at night, where it dances languidly, conducive to quick meetings, are no longer too accessible, due to the health crisis. More than half of single people (57%) indeed note that it is "today more difficult to meet people than before", for lack of social interactions.
More suspicious women
Evenings with friends, at home, are now preferred. It is therefore logical not to succeed in attracting new faces. Quentin, a 33-year-old Parisian bachelor, agrees. “We fall more often than before on the same people in the evening. They are already part of a friendly, familiar environment but, suddenly, you get to know them better and, even sometimes, to consider them ", smiles the thirty-something who evokes" the friend of a friend "that he goes. "Probably" to see again.
The other explanation for this "return to known lands", in the field of sexuality, is much more surprising, however. It appears, in the Ifop investigation, a very shared refusal to take the risk of having a relationship with a partner exposed or having been infected by Covid. If you've ever been sick, 62% of singles will go their way. And if you work in sectors exposed to viruses (health, sales, transport, etc.), this rate even rises to 64%. It is especially women who are the most suspicious. "It is in itself symptomatic of a new type of sexual stigma which is likely to last", announces François Kraus.
While waiting for her to enter a bar on the Quai d'Austerlitz (Paris 13th arrondissement) with friends, Amélie is surprised by this scenario that we are submitting to her. "Would I go out with a nurse who works with infected patients?" It's a weird question. Why not ? “, Says the 25-year-old bachelor. Silence. She reflects and… the speech changes. “The thing is, we are dealing with a virus that is not yet well known. It would have to be love at first sight between us. Otherwise, what's the point of taking risks? "
