and what exactly is a 'Great Deal'?
February 17, 2010 7:31 PM Subscribe
what do the other 66% of women think about everyday..?
..cause I'm curious to know.
..cause I'm curious to know.
The Average Number of Sexual Partners (Men and Women Combined)
I cannot for the life of me figure out what the fuck those two charts mean. Is that percentage? Of what?
posted by frecklefaerie at 7:42 PM on February 17, 2010 [26 favorites]
I cannot for the life of me figure out what the fuck those two charts mean. Is that percentage? Of what?
posted by frecklefaerie at 7:42 PM on February 17, 2010 [26 favorites]
Only 27% of males and 19% of females have had oral sex in the past year? Step it up people!
posted by Big_B at 7:43 PM on February 17, 2010 [19 favorites]
posted by Big_B at 7:43 PM on February 17, 2010 [19 favorites]
I cannot for the life of me figure out what the fuck those two charts mean. Is that percentage? Of what?
It breaks down the number of partners by the percentage of people having that many partners. 22% of people had 4 partners only, etc.
posted by Ironmouth at 7:43 PM on February 17, 2010
It breaks down the number of partners by the percentage of people having that many partners. 22% of people had 4 partners only, etc.
posted by Ironmouth at 7:43 PM on February 17, 2010
68.3 sexual partners in the past year?
Holy shit.
posted by mr_roboto at 7:43 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Holy shit.
posted by mr_roboto at 7:43 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
I can't figure out what those charts mean either. I'm guessing the numbers are percentages and each color represents a different number of partners? I'm confused.
posted by lexicakes at 7:46 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by lexicakes at 7:46 PM on February 17, 2010
Mostly this. But sometimes this. We share a brain, you know, so I can speak for all of us.
posted by sallybrown at 7:51 PM on February 17, 2010 [10 favorites]
posted by sallybrown at 7:51 PM on February 17, 2010 [10 favorites]
68.3
That can't be right... can it?
posted by nathancaswell at 7:51 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
That can't be right... can it?
posted by nathancaswell at 7:51 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
what do the other 66% of women think about everyday..?
/me winks and does pistol-fingers
posted by turgid dahlia at 7:51 PM on February 17, 2010 [7 favorites]
/me winks and does pistol-fingers
posted by turgid dahlia at 7:51 PM on February 17, 2010 [7 favorites]
All humans "think about sex" fairly constantly.
posted by fourcheesemac at 7:52 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by fourcheesemac at 7:52 PM on February 17, 2010
Wow, I can't believe how low the "casual sex is okay" figures are. There are zounds of people out there really hating on casual sex. I'm mean, I don't like it as much as "formal" sex, but I think it's okay, and as a moral judgement, I think it's A-Okay!
posted by smoke at 7:52 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by smoke at 7:52 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
Yeah, sorry, I refuse to believe that the VAST MAJORITY of Americans have had an average of 68.3 DIFFERENT PARTNERS in the last year. That just does not make any sense at all.
posted by nathancaswell at 7:53 PM on February 17, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by nathancaswell at 7:53 PM on February 17, 2010 [5 favorites]
Can anyone explain that graphic because it makes no sense... especially considering the lifetime total partners graphic that follows it.
posted by nathancaswell at 7:56 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by nathancaswell at 7:56 PM on February 17, 2010
I assume that those are percentages that are supposed to be keyed to 1, 2, 3 etc. partners. It is plainly impossible that those are numbers of partners.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 7:58 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by Horace Rumpole at 7:58 PM on February 17, 2010
right. I think that the section titled 'Average Number of Sexual Partners' is jacked up and has no interpretable meaning. the rest of it seems to holds up.
posted by pwedza at 8:00 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by pwedza at 8:00 PM on February 17, 2010
smoke: You have a point there. Formal sex, what with the cummerbund, the bow tie, the difficult lingerie that goes with the little black dress...It's a lot easier to throw jeans and a t-shirt on the floor. I always put "casual dress" on my orgy invitations.
posted by kozad at 8:03 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by kozad at 8:03 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Let's talk about sex for now to the people at home or in the crowd
It keeps coming up anyhow
Don't decoy, avoid, or make void the topic
Cuz that ain't gonna stop it
posted by bwg at 8:03 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
It keeps coming up anyhow
Don't decoy, avoid, or make void the topic
Cuz that ain't gonna stop it
posted by bwg at 8:03 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
I think that 68.3 represents the percentage of people having [deep purple] many sex partners per year. I'm unsure what exactly [deep purple] represents, but one seems mostly likely given [deep purple] = [medium orange] and even the biggest buffoon gets laid once every five years.
posted by jeffburdges at 8:05 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jeffburdges at 8:05 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
It breaks down the number of partners by the percentage of people having that many partners. 22% of people had 4 partners only, etc.
Yeah, that's what I figure it is. Except they left the legend off so we don't know if [deep purple] is 1 or 1-3 or what.
posted by griphus at 8:07 PM on February 17, 2010
Yeah, that's what I figure it is. Except they left the legend off so we don't know if [deep purple] is 1 or 1-3 or what.
posted by griphus at 8:07 PM on February 17, 2010
More importantly, men have an average of 20.8 partners and women 6.3. Even going with the high estimate of 10% of the population is gay that comes out to... let me see... 151.3 partners per gay man.
posted by aspo at 8:07 PM on February 17, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by aspo at 8:07 PM on February 17, 2010 [3 favorites]
Nah, I think 68.3 is meant to represent a sixty-niner, only the data gathering is out by a tiny margin.
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:11 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:11 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
After 68, most people could probably only manage another 0.3 before needing to rest.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:11 PM on February 17, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:11 PM on February 17, 2010 [3 favorites]
Duh, [Deep Purple] = Zero partners obviously, just like the song No One Came on their album Fireball.
posted by BrotherCaine at 8:11 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by BrotherCaine at 8:11 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
68.3
That can't be right... can it?
No way that can be right. That number is way too low.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 8:12 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
That can't be right... can it?
No way that can be right. That number is way too low.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 8:12 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
The expression is "every day."
posted by lumensimus at 8:15 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by lumensimus at 8:15 PM on February 17, 2010
Aspo, supposedly prostitutes are why those numbers are so skewed.
posted by BrotherCaine at 8:15 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by BrotherCaine at 8:15 PM on February 17, 2010
151.3 partners per gay man.
Does it count if you do the same dude twice but totally don't remember doing him the first time?
posted by Netzapper at 8:15 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
Does it count if you do the same dude twice but totally don't remember doing him the first time?
posted by Netzapper at 8:15 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
Haha, that number of partners graph is worthless.
Meanwhile I'm totally against casual sex. It's so much more meaningful when you're wearing a tuxedo.
posted by mullingitover at 8:15 PM on February 17, 2010 [11 favorites]
Meanwhile I'm totally against casual sex. It's so much more meaningful when you're wearing a tuxedo.
posted by mullingitover at 8:15 PM on February 17, 2010 [11 favorites]
Fancy dress sex?
posted by BrotherCaine at 8:17 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by BrotherCaine at 8:17 PM on February 17, 2010
So 70% of men think about sex every day and 30% of men are liars? That's how I'm reading the first chart anyway.
posted by Justinian at 8:18 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 8:18 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
BrotherCaine, oh bah, bring non snark into it. Yes I'm aware of prostitution/people making shit up/women more likely not to count iffy cases, but it's still amusing to look at a stat like that given without any attempt to explain it.
posted by aspo at 8:20 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by aspo at 8:20 PM on February 17, 2010
...THE PERCENTAGE OF AMERICAN ADULTS THAT:
Think About Sex Everyday
...And I stopped reading.
Yeah, that's right, "everyday" is a fucking dealbreaker, you gotta problem with that?!
posted by nanojath at 8:20 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
Think About Sex Everyday
...And I stopped reading.
Yeah, that's right, "everyday" is a fucking dealbreaker, you gotta problem with that?!
posted by nanojath at 8:20 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
(1) Can you trust a poll that relies on self-reported data? Why or why not?
(2) Determine the mean number of partners reported per person (regardless of gender).
(3) Determine the meanest partner reported.
posted by boo_radley at 8:21 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
(2) Determine the mean number of partners reported per person (regardless of gender).
(3) Determine the meanest partner reported.
posted by boo_radley at 8:21 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
what do the other 66% of women think about everyday..?
That it definitely needs a space.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:22 PM on February 17, 2010 [6 favorites]
That it definitely needs a space.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:22 PM on February 17, 2010 [6 favorites]
Only 19% (women) to 27% (men) of people have had oral sex in the last year? Woah. That's scarier than the stories people in the other thread are telling about their lack of sheet changing.
posted by Forktine at 8:25 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Forktine at 8:25 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you are wondering who is responsible for the .3 in the 68.3, well, it was me. I had a wet dream, but it was a dream about me getting a new computer.
posted by digsrus at 8:28 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by digsrus at 8:28 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
I'm going to start using those awesome donut charts everywhere.
posted by LordSludge at 8:33 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by LordSludge at 8:33 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
I would also like to add my confusion to the "average number of partners" graph.
It's interesting to compare these numbers to the results from the most recent OkCupid blog post, as they analyze similar data.
posted by lilac girl at 8:34 PM on February 17, 2010
It's interesting to compare these numbers to the results from the most recent OkCupid blog post, as they analyze similar data.
posted by lilac girl at 8:34 PM on February 17, 2010
and what exactly is a 'Great Deal'?
$20, same as in town.
posted by emelenjr at 8:34 PM on February 17, 2010 [17 favorites]
$20, same as in town.
posted by emelenjr at 8:34 PM on February 17, 2010 [17 favorites]
- Men have an average of 20.8 partners.
- Women have an average of 6.3 partners.
Having trouble grokking this...
Is it a matter of men over-reporting (I saw her nipple = sex) and women under-reporting (I didn't come = not sex)?
Or are gay men having waaay more sex than previously thought?
What's going on here?
posted by LordSludge at 8:43 PM on February 17, 2010
These are taken from a 2004 ABC news report of research conducted by the Kinsey Institute. (In case you want to see the original data).
posted by mecran01 at 8:44 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by mecran01 at 8:44 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Never trust a sex graph inscribed on a NuvaRing®.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 8:49 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 8:49 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
What's going on here?
Somebody's lying.
posted by P.o.B. at 8:49 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
Somebody's lying.
posted by P.o.B. at 8:49 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
I don't get the "men have had an average of 20.8 partners" and "women have an average of 6.3 partners" statistic. Start off with the heterosexual premise: total male partners equals total female partners. One hundred men with 20.8 partners each is 2080 female partners, a number matched somehow by one hundred women. But you can't do that with 100 women who average 6.3 partners.
So: sampling error, refuted heterosexual premise, or use of median instead of mean? I have no idea.
posted by A-Train at 8:53 PM on February 17, 2010
So: sampling error, refuted heterosexual premise, or use of median instead of mean? I have no idea.
posted by A-Train at 8:53 PM on February 17, 2010
nanojath, I don't see anyway that your objection to everyday maybe reasonable.
I gotta peeve.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:56 PM on February 17, 2010
I gotta peeve.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:56 PM on February 17, 2010
LordSludge: It's not possible to tell from the charts. Clearly one of the two situations you posit has to be true, though. Either men and women are lying about the number of sexual partners they've had (in opposite directions) or gay men are fucking like the energizer bunny. Or some of both.
posted by Justinian at 8:56 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 8:56 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Men have an average of 20.8 partners. The next chart says that 83% of men have had between 0 and 20 partners. That 17% is getting around!
posted by ActingTheGoat at 8:57 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by ActingTheGoat at 8:57 PM on February 17, 2010
p.s. don't let Edward Tufte see this.
posted by mecran01 at 9:02 PM on February 17, 2010 [11 favorites]
posted by mecran01 at 9:02 PM on February 17, 2010 [11 favorites]
Men have an average of 20.8 partners. The next chart says that 83% of men have had between 0 and 20 partners. That 17% is getting around!
Yeah, but that isn't actually very surprising. It's often the case that a relatively small subset of a large population is responsible for a disproportionately large fraction of whatever you're looking at. I mean, the 20.8 number may be bullshit but I'd certainly expect that whatever the real number is, the big majority of guys would be below that number and a smaller though not insubstantial number would be way over it.
posted by Justinian at 9:10 PM on February 17, 2010
Yeah, but that isn't actually very surprising. It's often the case that a relatively small subset of a large population is responsible for a disproportionately large fraction of whatever you're looking at. I mean, the 20.8 number may be bullshit but I'd certainly expect that whatever the real number is, the big majority of guys would be below that number and a smaller though not insubstantial number would be way over it.
posted by Justinian at 9:10 PM on February 17, 2010
Only 19% (women) to 27% (men) of people have had oral sex in the last year? Woah. That's scarier than the stories people in the other thread are telling about their lack of sheet changing.
Now you know why?
posted by christonabike at 9:13 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Now you know why?
posted by christonabike at 9:13 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Am I missing where it gives information about who they are polling? Cause if the average age of the women polled is different from the average age of the men, the results are going to be totally skewed, especially with regard to stuff like how many sexual partners since age 18.
posted by amro at 9:17 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by amro at 9:17 PM on February 17, 2010
42% of men and 34% of women believe casual sex is OK
and the rest think it's awesome! right?
posted by ODiV at 9:17 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
and the rest think it's awesome! right?
posted by ODiV at 9:17 PM on February 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
LordSludge: " * Men have an average of 20.8 partners.
* Women have an average of 6.3 partners.
Having trouble grokking this..."
LordSludge: All the men are having sex with the same 20.8 very promiscuous women?
Extreme example, but I think it illustrates the point.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 9:17 PM on February 17, 2010
* Women have an average of 6.3 partners.
Having trouble grokking this..."
LordSludge: All the men are having sex with the same 20.8 very promiscuous women?
Extreme example, but I think it illustrates the point.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 9:17 PM on February 17, 2010
That infographic reminds me of this.
Probably about as useful.
posted by marvin at 9:19 PM on February 17, 2010
Probably about as useful.
posted by marvin at 9:19 PM on February 17, 2010
I have sex less often than the average american adult, but I've had four times as many partners as the average woman. Considering that I've had only one partner in the last 17 years, I'm feeling a little boggled by how busy I was during my eight sexually-active years before that. It didn't seem all that slutty at the time.
posted by not that girl at 9:19 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by not that girl at 9:19 PM on February 17, 2010
I'M THINKING ABOUT SEX RIGHT NOW now I'm not NOW I AM AGAIN WOO now I'm not again WOOOOO SEXY SEXY SEX yawn WOOOOHOOO BOUNCY pancakes are pretty great SEND IN THE CLOWNS god I hate clowns what WOOOOOOOHOOOOOO BUTTER will you pipe down already PENGUINS oh man ROLLING IN THE HAY, HEY man, I'm trying to sleep over here SPANKY SPANKY FREAKY FUN TIME fine I give up have your way with me already WOOOHOOOOO CLAW FOOT BATHTUB FULLA JELLO
posted by loquacious at 9:20 PM on February 17, 2010 [13 favorites]
posted by loquacious at 9:20 PM on February 17, 2010 [13 favorites]
LordSludge: All the men are having sex with the same 20.8 very promiscuous women? Extreme example, but I think it illustrates the point.
STATISTICS FAIL.
The average number of sexual partners would still be equal. The median would change, but not the average (mean).
posted by Justinian at 9:23 PM on February 17, 2010
STATISTICS FAIL.
The average number of sexual partners would still be equal. The median would change, but not the average (mean).
posted by Justinian at 9:23 PM on February 17, 2010
What's going on here?
Lying ... or ... there's a very small number of outlier women that have sex with lots of different men. Remember, this is a mean average, not a median or mode.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:23 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Lying ... or ... there's a very small number of outlier women that have sex with lots of different men. Remember, this is a mean average, not a median or mode.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:23 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
69 dude!
posted by Artw at 9:29 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:29 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
Lying ... or ... there's a very small number of outlier women that have sex with lots of different men. Remember, this is a mean average, not a median or mode.
Um. See above. A very small number of outlier women that have sex with lots of different men does not make the average number of sexual partners for men and women different. It makes the MEDIAN different, but not the average.
I guess I'll expand since Joakim said the same thing. Consider twenty people, ten women and ten men. Nine of the women have had sex with nobody. One of the women have had sex with all ten men.
What is the average number of sexual partners for the men? One. What is the average number of sexual partners for the women? One. You cannot get 20.8 sexual partners per man and 6.3 for women simply by changing the median. Changing the median does not change the mean if the total number of sexual partners stays constant.
posted by Justinian at 9:32 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
Um. See above. A very small number of outlier women that have sex with lots of different men does not make the average number of sexual partners for men and women different. It makes the MEDIAN different, but not the average.
I guess I'll expand since Joakim said the same thing. Consider twenty people, ten women and ten men. Nine of the women have had sex with nobody. One of the women have had sex with all ten men.
What is the average number of sexual partners for the men? One. What is the average number of sexual partners for the women? One. You cannot get 20.8 sexual partners per man and 6.3 for women simply by changing the median. Changing the median does not change the mean if the total number of sexual partners stays constant.
posted by Justinian at 9:32 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
> what do the other 66% of women think about everyday..?
ADIDAS, actually.
Those little stripes... fascinating.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:33 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
ADIDAS, actually.
Those little stripes... fascinating.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:33 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
Dear reader,
The reason the statistics are so skewed is that I am having sex with you right now.
It's not very good. I'm sorry.
Sincerely,
posted by dirigibleman at 9:36 PM on February 17, 2010 [6 favorites]
The reason the statistics are so skewed is that I am having sex with you right now.
It's not very good. I'm sorry.
Sincerely,
posted by dirigibleman at 9:36 PM on February 17, 2010 [6 favorites]
(I also wear Gazelles.)
posted by dirigibleman at 9:37 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by dirigibleman at 9:37 PM on February 17, 2010
Anyone else feel like the last week of Mefi makes them eligible for an honorary minor in Gender Studies?
posted by Cyrano at 9:52 PM on February 17, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by Cyrano at 9:52 PM on February 17, 2010 [5 favorites]
Meanwhile I'm totally against casual sex. It's so much more meaningful when you're wearing a tuxedo.
Getting stains out of a cummerbund is a pain.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:53 PM on February 17, 2010
Getting stains out of a cummerbund is a pain.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:53 PM on February 17, 2010
Y'all are familiar with the concept of recall bias, I hope.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 9:58 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 9:58 PM on February 17, 2010
ADIDAS, actually.
Those little stripes... fascinating.
All
Day
I
Dream
About
Stripes
posted by P.o.B. at 10:01 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Those little stripes... fascinating.
All
Day
I
Dream
About
Stripes
posted by P.o.B. at 10:01 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Only 19% (women) to 27% (men) of people have had oral sex in the last year? Woah. That's scarier than the stories people in the other thread are telling about their lack of sheet changing.
Especially when you consider that lots of folks consider oral sex to be a "yee-ha" kind of thing, and so if there's lying going on it's trending towards over-reporting rather than under-reporting.
and so now I am so very, very sad for those people not getting any oral love
posted by davejay at 10:05 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Especially when you consider that lots of folks consider oral sex to be a "yee-ha" kind of thing, and so if there's lying going on it's trending towards over-reporting rather than under-reporting.
and so now I am so very, very sad for those people not getting any oral love
posted by davejay at 10:05 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Married couples in their 60s have sex once every 10-11 days? Yeah suuuuuuuure.
posted by Lukenlogs at 10:28 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Lukenlogs at 10:28 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
With each other?
posted by Artw at 10:29 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 10:29 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
"Men have an average of 20.8 partners. Women have an average of 6.3 partners."
Men overestimate their "conquests." Even to anonymous survey researchers. Women lie about how many men they've slept with. Even to anonymous survey researchers. If a man puts the tip in for 2 seconds, it counts. If a woman was drunk and the encounter happened out of town, it doesn't. Furthermore, I have had any number of girlfriends confide in me that her friends are fibbing to their boyfriends about how many men they've been with. Once you hear this kind of thing from four or five different girlfriends, you lose your naive assumptions that your girlfriend is the only candid (and curiously the least sexually experienced) person in her social circle. I would bet large sums of money that a histogram depicting men's sex partners would fit nicely over a histogram showing the same for women.
posted by Crotalus at 11:22 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Men overestimate their "conquests." Even to anonymous survey researchers. Women lie about how many men they've slept with. Even to anonymous survey researchers. If a man puts the tip in for 2 seconds, it counts. If a woman was drunk and the encounter happened out of town, it doesn't. Furthermore, I have had any number of girlfriends confide in me that her friends are fibbing to their boyfriends about how many men they've been with. Once you hear this kind of thing from four or five different girlfriends, you lose your naive assumptions that your girlfriend is the only candid (and curiously the least sexually experienced) person in her social circle. I would bet large sums of money that a histogram depicting men's sex partners would fit nicely over a histogram showing the same for women.
posted by Crotalus at 11:22 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
No mention of tiny dragons? Y'all are freaks.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:32 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:32 PM on February 17, 2010
All of the apparently bizarre statistics can be explained easily with one simple premise -- there must be roughly three times as many women as there are men.
That would make it entirely plausible that men have an average of 20.8 partners while women have an average of 6.3; the math then works out quite well.
Why has no one noticed this? The answer is obvious, and once again contained within the statistics; almost exactly two-thirds of women do not think about sex every day. Presumably, they don't bother to go out much.
So, men meet, have sex with, and are aware of a number of women approximately equal to their own numbers. But there are in fact TWICE AS MANY celibate, invisible women hiding somewhere and skewing the statistics.
This has to be true, since it's the only way the math works out.
posted by kyrademon at 11:41 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
That would make it entirely plausible that men have an average of 20.8 partners while women have an average of 6.3; the math then works out quite well.
Why has no one noticed this? The answer is obvious, and once again contained within the statistics; almost exactly two-thirds of women do not think about sex every day. Presumably, they don't bother to go out much.
So, men meet, have sex with, and are aware of a number of women approximately equal to their own numbers. But there are in fact TWICE AS MANY celibate, invisible women hiding somewhere and skewing the statistics.
This has to be true, since it's the only way the math works out.
posted by kyrademon at 11:41 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
Oh, wait ... I just realized that this is a U.S.-only study! This means that, while my 6.5 billion extra invisible women worldwide theory is still entirely plausible, there is one other perfectly logical explanation.
There only *has* to be three times as many women as men if it is a *closed* system -- that is to say, if we are considering all the men and women in the world.
However, the survey asked how many partners people had, not how many U.S. partners they had, even though it only queried U.S. citizens. That means that this is an *open* system; it is possible to have sex outside the query group.
Therefore, another entirely plausible explanation is that every U.S. male has totally had sex with 14-15 foreign women. Probably in Canada. Yes, they were totally in Canada. They U.S. male population could totally prove it by calling them right now, but the Canadian women have been having problems with their cell phones recently and the U.S. male population can't get through. U.S. males might be able to find a picture of them online or something, though. They were really hot.
posted by kyrademon at 11:53 PM on February 17, 2010 [14 favorites]
There only *has* to be three times as many women as men if it is a *closed* system -- that is to say, if we are considering all the men and women in the world.
However, the survey asked how many partners people had, not how many U.S. partners they had, even though it only queried U.S. citizens. That means that this is an *open* system; it is possible to have sex outside the query group.
Therefore, another entirely plausible explanation is that every U.S. male has totally had sex with 14-15 foreign women. Probably in Canada. Yes, they were totally in Canada. They U.S. male population could totally prove it by calling them right now, but the Canadian women have been having problems with their cell phones recently and the U.S. male population can't get through. U.S. males might be able to find a picture of them online or something, though. They were really hot.
posted by kyrademon at 11:53 PM on February 17, 2010 [14 favorites]
I, too, couldn't believe so many people don't think casual sex is okay, nor could I fathom that anyone would actually purchase an x-rated movie.
Another thing that was odd to me... there are people that don't even think of sex once some days? Not even in some abstract way? Now I feel kind of weird. I could fathom some really small amount of people matching those descriptions, but not nearly as many as listed. That and the casual sex thing make me think people were just lying to the people conducting the survey, but maybe I'm that off-base.
posted by Nattie at 12:40 AM on February 18, 2010
Another thing that was odd to me... there are people that don't even think of sex once some days? Not even in some abstract way? Now I feel kind of weird. I could fathom some really small amount of people matching those descriptions, but not nearly as many as listed. That and the casual sex thing make me think people were just lying to the people conducting the survey, but maybe I'm that off-base.
posted by Nattie at 12:40 AM on February 18, 2010
The suggestion that married 70+ year olds have sex 9.8 a year seems way too low. The suggestion that unmarried 70+ year olds have sex 3.4 times a year seems way too high.
posted by bicyclefish at 12:45 AM on February 18, 2010
posted by bicyclefish at 12:45 AM on February 18, 2010
68.3% of people reading this survey think that donut shaped charts have something to do with rimjobs.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:54 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:54 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
Final theory:
If the word "partners" were disambiguated, we might find out that all U.S. men have slept with, on average:
- About 6.3 women
- About 4.8 men
- About 9.7 let's say goats
See, that's now THREE WAYS these statistics could make PERFECT SENSE. I am therefore absolutely finding this an extremely reliable and trustworthy study worthy of a great deal of attention.
posted by kyrademon at 1:19 AM on February 18, 2010 [2 favorites]
If the word "partners" were disambiguated, we might find out that all U.S. men have slept with, on average:
- About 6.3 women
- About 4.8 men
- About 9.7 let's say goats
See, that's now THREE WAYS these statistics could make PERFECT SENSE. I am therefore absolutely finding this an extremely reliable and trustworthy study worthy of a great deal of attention.
posted by kyrademon at 1:19 AM on February 18, 2010 [2 favorites]
"Men have an average of 20.8 partners. Women have an average of 6.3 partners."
I keep waiting for the "Ask Marilyn" column on this in Parade Magazine.
In statistics, I think this has something to do with the concept of 'Tail'.
posted by MtDewd at 3:52 AM on February 18, 2010
I keep waiting for the "Ask Marilyn" column on this in Parade Magazine.
In statistics, I think this has something to do with the concept of 'Tail'.
posted by MtDewd at 3:52 AM on February 18, 2010
I figure the disparity could be explained by the use of the loaded word "partner." Typically speaking, people consider "partners" to be those who put in equal work on a project, and it would follow that "sexual partners" are those who put in equal effort in sex. Following this logic, and hurtful stereotypes bandied about by many as the truth, guys are likely to qualify every woman they have sex with as a "sexual partner," while women are pickier about whom they label as a "sexual partner" rather than "disappointment."
posted by explosion at 4:21 AM on February 18, 2010
posted by explosion at 4:21 AM on February 18, 2010
- Women have an average of 20.8 partners.
WoMen have an average of 6.3 partners.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:23 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
On a related note- "Rise in Teen Pregnancy Proves Teens Still Got It"
posted by brevator at 5:27 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by brevator at 5:27 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
The suggestion that unmarried 70+ year olds have sex 3.4 times a year seems way too high.
I think you need to spend some more time in a retirement community. Those people are seriously randy, and now that Viagra is easily available...
I remember some serious articles coming out about the reported disparities between male and female sex numbers a couple of years ago. Google is failing me, but I know it has been looked into by researchers, with answers posited.
posted by Forktine at 5:48 AM on February 18, 2010
I think you need to spend some more time in a retirement community. Those people are seriously randy, and now that Viagra is easily available...
I remember some serious articles coming out about the reported disparities between male and female sex numbers a couple of years ago. Google is failing me, but I know it has been looked into by researchers, with answers posited.
posted by Forktine at 5:48 AM on February 18, 2010
42 percent of men have sex on the first date, but only 17 percent of women do.
Therefore, at least 25 percent of men are men who have sex with other men on the first date.
Of course there are more reasonable explanations: women are more likely to count something as a "date" (so men are counting something as the first date while women are counting it as the second or greater), or people are lying. But I like my explanation.
posted by madcaptenor at 6:06 AM on February 18, 2010
Therefore, at least 25 percent of men are men who have sex with other men on the first date.
Of course there are more reasonable explanations: women are more likely to count something as a "date" (so men are counting something as the first date while women are counting it as the second or greater), or people are lying. But I like my explanation.
posted by madcaptenor at 6:06 AM on February 18, 2010
Only 19% (women) to 27% (men) of people have had oral sex in the last year?
This is seriously confusing to me. I both give and receive pretty much every time I have sex with my partner, but not to orgasm-- more as an appetizer. I find it astonishing that 81% of the women are claiming that they have NOT engaged in oral sex of some kind in the past year. Are people only counting it as "oral sex" if orgasms ensue? Are women only counting it if they receive?
Also, at 52 I am having sex more than twice as often as married men in their 20s (the group that is reported to be having the most frequent sex.) Sad. Why aren't people having more sex? Too busy? Too tired? Too lazy?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:57 AM on February 18, 2010 [2 favorites]
This is seriously confusing to me. I both give and receive pretty much every time I have sex with my partner, but not to orgasm-- more as an appetizer. I find it astonishing that 81% of the women are claiming that they have NOT engaged in oral sex of some kind in the past year. Are people only counting it as "oral sex" if orgasms ensue? Are women only counting it if they receive?
Also, at 52 I am having sex more than twice as often as married men in their 20s (the group that is reported to be having the most frequent sex.) Sad. Why aren't people having more sex? Too busy? Too tired? Too lazy?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:57 AM on February 18, 2010 [2 favorites]
Hmmm, 17/42 percent have sex on the first date, but only 15/35 percent believe casual sex is OK?
posted by grouse at 8:19 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by grouse at 8:19 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
grouse: "Hmmm, 17/42 percent have sex on the first date, but only 15/35 percent believe casual sex is OK?"
whoa whoa people act inconsistently to their beliefs slow down you're going a mile a minute
posted by boo_radley at 9:50 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
whoa whoa people act inconsistently to their beliefs slow down you're going a mile a minute
posted by boo_radley at 9:50 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
On the casual sex question, it could simply be that the question is ambiguous. Is casual sex okay in one's own sex life could very well have a different answer than whether casual sex is okay in other peoples' sex lives. And people being focused on themselves, especially when answering a survey about their own activities, could quite possibly think the former.
Of course their still seems to be a few percent that are deluding themselves.
posted by Zalzidrax at 9:51 AM on February 18, 2010
Of course their still seems to be a few percent that are deluding themselves.
posted by Zalzidrax at 9:51 AM on February 18, 2010
I think there's clearly and unsurprisingly a ton of response bias here, as some questions simply don't add up, but questions like:
Enjoy sex a great deal -
Men: 40
Women: 28
and
Believe casual sex is okay -
Men: 35
Women: 15
could conceivably be accurate, and that makes me really sad. I hope it's response bias here too, and that there's as many ladies out there as men who enjoy sex.
posted by shaun uh at 9:54 AM on February 18, 2010
Enjoy sex a great deal -
Men: 40
Women: 28
and
Believe casual sex is okay -
Men: 35
Women: 15
could conceivably be accurate, and that makes me really sad. I hope it's response bias here too, and that there's as many ladies out there as men who enjoy sex.
posted by shaun uh at 9:54 AM on February 18, 2010
There was a paper published several years back that said the discrepancy between male reported sex partners and female reported sex partners was mainly due to female prostitutes. Surveys don't often sample female prostitutes and they typically have many sex partners. In the study, one prostitute counted 6,000 clients in a six month period. (That's 33 a day)
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:30 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:30 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
The "American Sex Survey Abcnews.com" that the infographic references is here. The PDF the article links to has a lot of the raw-ish data. (They even give the mean and median for some of the results).
If anyone is wondering about those (broken) ring graphs with portions that are labeled with the percentage of the ring that the portion is, instead of # of sex partners that the portion corresponds to... Combining items 29 and 35 (in the pdf) gives the actual info. (Well, for 12 months, at least.)
The poll was done in 2004 with random ("random") sampling over the phone, and included ~1500 people.
Also, if you "think homosexuality is ok," you probably don't go to church a lot. And if you "discuss fantasies," you're (marginally) more likely to be a moderate church goer than an avid or rare one. Heh.
(disclaimer: no, I didn't calculate confidence intervals... just eyeballing the data/graph.)
posted by sentient at 4:03 PM on February 18, 2010
If anyone is wondering about those (broken) ring graphs with portions that are labeled with the percentage of the ring that the portion is, instead of # of sex partners that the portion corresponds to... Combining items 29 and 35 (in the pdf) gives the actual info. (Well, for 12 months, at least.)
The poll was done in 2004 with random ("random") sampling over the phone, and included ~1500 people.
Also, if you "think homosexuality is ok," you probably don't go to church a lot. And if you "discuss fantasies," you're (marginally) more likely to be a moderate church goer than an avid or rare one. Heh.
(disclaimer: no, I didn't calculate confidence intervals... just eyeballing the data/graph.)
posted by sentient at 4:03 PM on February 18, 2010
On the averages of 20.8 and 6.3: Are we really the same person from day to day, or year to year?
Perhaps the men were in a philosophical mood while answering the survey?
posted by Someday Bum at 4:10 PM on February 18, 2010
Perhaps the men were in a philosophical mood while answering the survey?
posted by Someday Bum at 4:10 PM on February 18, 2010
But in one direction.
posted by Someday Bum at 4:11 PM on February 18, 2010
posted by Someday Bum at 4:11 PM on February 18, 2010
Only 19% (women) to 27% (men) of people have had oral sex in the last year?
Well it IS still only February.
posted by happyroach at 7:47 PM on February 18, 2010
Well it IS still only February.
posted by happyroach at 7:47 PM on February 18, 2010
Perhaps they didn't include the right 14.5% of women in their sample.
posted by rubah at 8:43 PM on February 18, 2010
posted by rubah at 8:43 PM on February 18, 2010
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posted by Ironmouth at 7:41 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]