An OkCupid Survey Tracked Sex Trends Between 2005 and 2015

One trend: Sex on the first date is actually on the decline.

Sex has changed since Cambridge-founded OkCupid opened for business more than a decade ago. The online dating juggernaut published a report about how users’ sexual preferences changed between 2005 and 2015, and some of the differences are actually pretty pronounced—and not always in the ways you’d expect.

Below, a sampling of the most interesting data from the report:

  • Those who love to lament the loose morals of today’s youth will be chagrined to know that in 2015, people were actually 19 percent less likely to sleep with someone on the first date than they were in 2005.
  • In both years, having sex after three to five dates was the most popular choice. A scant 5 percent in 2015 and 7 percent in 2005 were waiting ’til the wedding night.
  • Fewer people said they’d date someone “just for the sex” nowadays—41 percent would in 2015, versus 49 percent in 2005. Fifty-one percent of men said they would in 2015, but only 24 percent of women.
  • Heartwarmingly, three-quarters of people said love is more important than sex in both surveys.
  • In 2015, roughly half of respondents felt it was possible to have too many sex partners. That’s down from 70 percent in 2005.
  • In both years, the majority of respondents said they’d need to sleep with someone before marriage: 65 percent in 2005, and 76 percent in 2015.

About a million users contributed to the survey, but take the results with a grain of salt. Since most OkCupid users are young, unattached people actively looking for love, the findings may not be indicative of all demographics—or, say, the Tinder set.

You can see the full report here.