Pandemic fails to dampen German passions
June 2, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has had little effect on the sex lives of most Germans, according to the results of a survey that emerged on Tuesday.
Some 87% of the 1,000 respondents were adamant that the crisis had not deflated their sex lives.
In the survey done by GfK, the international consumer research agency based in Nuremberg, for a dating portal (Secret.de), almost 60% of couples responded that public lockdowns had brought them closer together.
Every fifth among respondents who answered more detailed questions said they had had more sex than before, and 12% better sex.
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But, a quarter of these respondents admitted experiencing conflicts that had impacted negatively on their romantic lives.
Some 40% of singles included in the sample had opted for pauses in dating. 11% had met, but at a distance, 10% could not resist kissing, and a further 10% had sex.
And, a quarter of respondents flirted online and via telephone, reflecting what Secret.de said were statistics showing more dating portal usage during May.
Less prostitution, more condom sales
Meanwhile, three Germany-based condom manufacturers questioned by the German news agency dpa said consumers had also stashed up on latex during a run on toilet paper and noodles as the crisis unfolded in supermarkets in March.
Prostitution in Germany, previously attributed for a quarter or condom usage, had collapsed amid social distancing, said one manufacturer Robert Richter.
"I presume that couples in stable relationships had more sex, otherwise the turnover figures would have slumped," said Richter.
Germany's Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) found in 2018 that among sexually active women and men in Germany, 46% used condoms and 47% the pill. Especially under-30s had critical view of hormonal contraception.
Generally satisfied
Last December, in an earlier GfK survey of 2,000 men and woman between 18 and 74 years of age found that Germany's residents were generally satisfied with their sex lives, recounted the magazine GC, saying women were happier than men.
Among respondents, 38% described their intimate lives as "very good" or "good" but with marks diverging regionally.
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Most satisfied were respondents in Germany's north and eastern states of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Thuringia.
The most unsatisfied lived in northwestern locations: Hamburg, Bremen and the adjacent state of Lower Saxony, which has Hanover as its capital.
Consumer sentiment low but stable
Last week, in a broader consumer-climate survey, GfK found that in May sentiment had recovered somewhat from April's shock as Germany experienced its own lockdowns and witnessed Covid-19's fatalities in northern Italy, Spain and New York.
May's consumer indicator at minus 18.9 — the 2nd lowest ever recorded in Germany — was however, said GfK, not observably worse than in shock month of April.
"Nevertheless, there is great uncertainty among consumers," concluded GfK, without remarking then on its impacts on their sexual activity.
"They see the German economy as far from being over the hump and heading into a deep recession. Fear of job loss remains high and this is currently proving to be a major obstacle to consumption, alongside the loss of income."