Harris / Xlovecam survey on French people’s habits
Online survey conducted from May 6 to 11, 2023.
Sample of 1,518 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over.
Quota sampling and weighting were applied to the following variables: gender, age, socio-professional category and region of residence.
French people clearly feel that it has become easier to talk openly about sex: nearly 7 out of 10 believe that it is easier to talk about sexuality today than it was in the past.
Today, sex is part of French people’s conversations, and not only within the intimacy of a couple: 60% of the population say they often or occasionally discuss the subject outside their relationship, a behavior that is more common among younger generations than among their elders. Is this simply an age effect or a genuine generational shift?
Probably a combination of both.
However, the subject remains somewhat sensitive: only 35% of French people find it “very easy” to talk about sexuality even within their relationship (a figure that drops to 16% outside the relationship), and the subject can also be a source of insecurity.
More than three-quarters of French people say they have already felt self-conscious about some aspect of their sex life, most often about their body (especially among women) or their sexual performance (especially among men), but also about sexual difficulties (among both).
But even though sex does not appear to be completely free of taboos today, French people readily see sexuality as an area of tolerance and freedom: 87% believe that everyone today is free to live their sexuality as they wish.
To what extent are French people satisfied with their love life and sex life?
Nevertheless, when it comes to the degree of satisfaction, French people say they are somewhat happier with their love life (53% give it a score between 8 and 10 out of 10) than with their sex life (45%).
These assessments differ significantly depending on respondents’ relationship status, with people in relationships reporting much higher levels of satisfaction than single people, particularly when rating their love life. Over time, however, sexual satisfaction among couples appears to decline slightly.
Overall, French people feel that their sexual desires and fantasies fall within a form of “normality”: 73% readily describe their own sexuality as “conventional”, an adjective cited even more often than “fulfilling” (69%) or “liberated” (63%), and one that resonates across all generations.
Regarding their past experience, two-thirds of French people consider themselves sexually experienced, while only a minority say they would like to try new sexual practices (38%). Although men are more likely than women to describe themselves as experienced, they are also more likely to want to broaden their sexual repertoire (49%, compared with 28% of women). Young people and young couples are the most curious about trying new practices (50%), even ahead of single people (42%). Single people, meanwhile, are primarily interested in meeting new partners (53%).
Among the most common practices, penetration ranks first (87% of French people say they have already experienced it), ahead of oral sex (around 7 in 10 French people have already been involved in fellatio or cunnilingus) and masturbation with a partner (63%).
These practices regularly lead to orgasm for 85% of French people in relationships, with a notable difference between men (92% say they reach orgasm every time or often) and women (79%). This gender gap in orgasm frequency is also reflected in libido: among couples, women are much more likely to identify their partner as having the higher sex drive (70%), while men are much more likely to identify themselves as the partner with the greater desire (78%).
Although many French people are in relationships, this does not prevent them from masturbating alone, with 1 in 2 saying they masturbate at least once a month. Here again, the gender gap is significant: 86% of men say they have masturbated at least once, compared with 64% of women. Overall, the frequency of orgasms achieved through solo masturbation is close to that of orgasms experienced with a partner.
It is also worth noting that women’s sources of sexual pleasure differ significantly depending on whether they are alone — in which case orgasm is most often achieved through external clitoral stimulation (69%) — or with a partner, in which case vaginal stimulation is more frequently cited as a source of pleasure (37%, compared with 39% for clitoral stimulation).
Within relationships, men are very likely to identify themselves as the partner with the higher libido, while women tend to identify their partner as having the higher sex drive. However, 3 in 10 women say they want to have sex more often than their partner.
As for dating websites and apps, 38% of the population say they have used them at least once, a proportion that rises to 52% among people under 35. Nevertheless, for the vast majority of French people, including users themselves, these platforms are simply an additional way to meet people (85%) and are far from being considered essential (14%). While French people believe these websites and apps make meeting people easier (60%), they can also make other aspects of romantic relationships more difficult — particularly fidelity, which 46% of the population believe is harder to maintain today.
Although less well known than dating websites, “live cam” websites have nevertheless achieved a certain level of recognition: nearly 1 in 2 French people say they have already heard of the concept. “Live cam” websites are much better known among men (65%) than among women (only 35%).
Among those unfamiliar with these platforms, 12% express some interest in them (18% among men, with even greater interest among younger men), and interest is more common in the Paris metropolitan area than elsewhere.
After a brief explanation of how “live cam” websites work, French people recognize certain benefits, particularly the wide variety of models they can offer and the opportunity for users to express their desires freely. They are considerably more skeptical about the idea of genuine interaction between the model and the user, and sometimes find it difficult to believe in the authenticity of these exchanges and the connection that may develop.
