Office workers got a decent run of things during the coronavirus pandemic. They got to stay home and see their partners all day long if they had one. But many have been forced to swap their comfortable remote working lifestyles for a return to the office.
What has the transition done to our sexual desires? And have single people been more impacted than those in a relationship?
We surveyed a diverse group of individuals to understand how returning to the office has affected their sexual desires. Participants were asked to select various scenarios that reflect changes in their sexual desire, and 45.74% of Americans surveyed said they’ve experienced an increase in sexual desire since returning to the office, while 40.14% say they have experienced a decrease.
In this article, we’ll be diving into the results of our survey to uncover the key differences between men and women, generational divides, as well as how single people and those in a relationship feel about sex post-pandemic.
Key Takeaways
- 85.88% of Americans experienced changes in sexual desire upon returning to the office, with 45.74% reporting an increase and 40.14% reporting a decrease.
- Gen Z females showed the most significant increase in sexual desire, with 55.65% experiencing it.
- More men (22.39%) than women (18.72%) see sex as a way to relieve stress after work. A significant number of young women (23.85%) also feel this way.
- Singles experienced a notable rise in sexual desire, with 52.48% feeling an increase after returning to the office, compared to 37.00% of those in relationships.
- More singles (20.45%) reported better mental health benefits from returning to the office compared to those in relationships (12.06%), which also linked with increased sexual desire.
- Many young men (33.33%) said they missed their partners because of less remote work, which made them more interested in sex.
- 13.65% of people said that sex used to be spontaneous when working from home, but now it feels planned, which is a major turnoff.
- Gen Z males shared concerns about how the work commute affects their sexual appetite, with 16.33% feeling it has an impact.
85.88% of Americans Experienced Changes in Sexual Desire Upon Returning to the Office
More Americans who responded to our survey said they’ve experienced an increase in sexual desire after returning to the office than those who haven’t resumed office work.
More men (47.45%) than women (43.84%) overall said they’ve experienced an increase in desire, but it’s young females between 18 and 27 who’ve experienced the biggest increase in sexual desire (55.65%) out of all the groups we surveyed.
The increase in sexual desire among this group is linked to an improvement in their mental health, with 21.76% of young females citing this as a key reason, suggesting that the social aspect of working in an office is key to a strong sexual appetite.
For men, 22.39% who said they have experienced an increase in their sexual desire said that it’s largely down to the fact that sex is a great stress reliever after work is done for the day. This shows that returning to the office itself isn’t a cause for an increase in their desire but that the additional anxiety that it brings is.
“While there can be definite downsides of going back to the office, seeing and interacting with dozens or hundreds of folks can definitely get single people’s proverbial juices flowing again,” said dating coach and relationship expert Hunt Ethridge.
“As there has been a decline in ‘3rd places’ (union halls, Elks Club, temple, village green), many young people only have their workplace to be introduced to a large number of different people,” Hunt explained.
Young Dating Females Use Sex as a Stress Reliever the Most
We’ve just pointed out that 22.39% of all males who responded to our survey cited stress as the number one reason for their improved sexual desire now that they’ve returned to the office.
However, if we break the numbers up according to age and gender, it’s actually Gen Z females who most see sex as a way to relieve the stress that comes with working in an office, with 23.85% returning this answer.
This again reinforces the previous point that returning to an office setting can cause stress for a lot of people and that the best way for them to relieve it is via sex.
Slightly more single people (21.28%) than those in a relationship (19.84%) said they desire sex more because of increased job stress, with more Gen Zers overall (21.25%) than millennials (19.61%) saying they desire sex due to an increase in work-related stress.
The overall conclusion from this is that more younger people than older people turn to sex to let off some steam when pressure in the office is getting a little too much.
33.33% of Young Men Miss Their Partner With Decreased Remote Working, Leading to More Interest in Sex
When people got to work remotely during the global pandemic, those in a relationship were able to spend more quality time with their partner. But what happens when we’re sent back to the office and forced to suddenly spend several hours apart each day? It’s natural that we’d miss each other – but would this lead to an increase in sexual desire?
Now that numerous remote workers have been asked to return to the office, it’s young men more than women who say that missing their partner has led to an increase in their sexual desire, with 33.33% of 18-to-27-year-olds listing this as a reason.
This number conflicts sharply with the overall response, with 18.20% of total respondents across all age groups saying that with decreased remote working, they desire more sex because they miss their partner.
If we consider the survey results by gender without factoring in age, the numbers are almost level, with 17.96% of all males saying being able to see their partner less has led to an increase in their sexual desire, and 18.47% of all women saying the same thing.
And while slightly more Gen Zers(19.41%) than millennials (16.08%) overall cite this as a factor, it’s clear that Gen Z males are the ones who start to yearn for their partner much more than anyone else now that they’ve returned to the office.
Gen Z Women Cite a Boost in their Mental Health for an Upsurge in their Sexual Desire
Working from home has a lot of positives. But people working remotely also experience a number of notable negatives, including feelings of isolation and loneliness, which can cause our mental health to take a hit.
Of those who replied to our survey, 16.80% said going back to the office has boosted their mental health — and that this has had the knock-on effect of increasing their interest in sex. This shows that being around people makes us feel good and can, in turn, make us desire people in more ways than one.
Among all male respondents, 17.07% cited an upturn in their mental health as a reason for their increased sexual desire, while 16.50% of all females said the same thing.
More single Gen Z women (21.76%) than any other respondents linked a boost in their mental health to their increased sexual desire now that they’re back in the office. Only 7.32% of Gen Z women in a relationship gave the same response.
What’s more, while 19.88% of single Gen Z men said that they desire more sex because returning to the office has boosted their mental health, zero Gen Z men in a relationship said the same thing.
This shows how working remotely has affected the mental health of young, single people who perhaps spent a lot more time alone during lockdowns than those who are or were in a relationship. Now that they’re able to interact in the office with their co-workers again, they’re feeling better — and they’re feeling in the mood to make up for lost time.
13.65% of Respondents Feel that Sex Feels “Too Planned”
According to our survey, 40.14% of total respondents said that they’ve experienced a decrease in sexual desire since returning to the office. They cited as the number one factor for this to the fact that sex now feels more planned and less thrilling.
Some 13.65% of overall respondents said that sex when working from home was spontaneous but that it now feels scheduled, which is a major turnoff.
The numbers are almost the same for males (13.97%) and females (13.30%) across both age groups.
However, it’s single people who most frequently say they feel that spontaneity has been taken away from them, with 16.12% saying scheduled sex in the face of a return to the office has decreased their sexual desire.
This compares with 10.46% of those already in a relationship, suggesting that single office workers simply have less time to spare when it comes to casual and unplanned sex.
What’s more, it’s young people overall who feel this way, with 16.12% of Gen Zers citing the loss of spontaneity in sex as the main reason they’re losing their sexual desire.
Just 9.32% of all millennials who took our survey agreed, which hints that older people don’t actually mind planning ahead when it comes to sex.
Juggling Work-Life Balance Impacts Sexual Activity
Work-life balance is more than just a buzzword. It’s a real priority people set to balance their professional lives and their personal lives.
Hitting the right note isn’t always easy — and according to our survey, many employees who have returned to the office agree.
In fact, as many as 13.65% of total respondents said that they desire less sex than before because they’re struggling to achieve a solid work-life balance. That makes work-life balance the most common reason both male and female respondents gave for their decrease in desire.
More females (14.04%) than males (13.30%) surveyed said they are struggling to achieve an effective work-life balance. But it’s single Gen Z males who scored highest on this front, with 16.73% saying that balancing their work life with their personal life has reduced both their sexual desire and their sexual activity.
Naturally, it makes sense that more single people than those who are in a relationship report feeling the strain on this front. In most cases, finding sex as a single person is an additional activity in itself that takes up more time.
Not surprisingly, more single young women (14.64%) than young women in a relationship (12.20%) who responded to the survey said they are also struggling to find time for sex now that they’re back in the office.
However, the fact that those in a relationship also note work-life balance as a significant reason for a drop-off in their sexual desire and/or activity shows that working in an office notably hampers things in the bedroom.
16.33% of Young Single Men are Fatigued from Commuting
Another factor of returning to office work is a long commute for some workers that can really eat into the work-life balance. This is especially the case for single Gen Z males, with 16.33% saying that the work commute is damaging their sexual appetite. After a long trek to the office and back, they’re not in the mood for sex, they say.
This compares with just 9% of millennial males who say that commuting has an adverse effect on their sexual appetite. This suggests that millennials with a higher spending power are perhaps able to move closer to work, or they’re in a more privileged position when it comes to transportation.
What’s more, only 9.52% of Gen Z males who are in a relationship said they desire less sex because they’re tired from commuting. This is a sharp contrast to general responses of young, single Gen Z men.
The numbers are reversed for Gen Z females. While 14.63% of young women in a relationship cited fatigue from commuting as a reason for their decreased sexual desire, only 10.04% of single young women said the same thing.
Singles from both age groups (13.22%) said fatigue from commuting to work and back was a factor for the dip in their sexual appetite, while 9.65% of those in a relationship from both age groups gave the same answer.
19.05% of Gen Z Males in a Relationship Desire Less Sex Because of Greater Job Stress
We saw earlier that 20.65% of total respondents said they use sex as a stress reliever now that they’re back working in the office. It helps them let off some steam.
However, stress can cause our desires to go the other way, too, with many more young men in a relationship than those who are single desiring sex less in the face of too much job stress.
According to our survey, 19.05% of 18-to-27-year-old men in a relationship said that job stress is the main reason they’ve lost some interest in sex, while only 12.24% of single 18-to-27-year-old men said the same thing.
This indicates that younger men in relationships find it harder to balance different aspects of their lives now that they’re feeling more pressure at work. Instead of looking for an outlet, they struggle on.
The numbers are pretty glaring when you consider that only 9.67% of Gen Z females in a relationship said that job stress has reduced their interest in sex, while more Gen Z single females (12.13%) said that job stress has contributed to a downturn in their sexual desires.
That said, more women overall (13.79%) than men (11.09%) say that job stress is impacting their sex life.
Overall, job stress was the second lowest-ranked reason for a decrease in sexual desire now that we’ve returned to the office, with 12.37% of Gen Zers and millennials combined giving this answer. This fairly low number makes sense when you consider that a significant number of people use sex as a stress reliever.
Wrapping Up
It’s clear from our survey that returning to the office has, for a large number of people, boosted their mental health to the point where they’re desiring sex more. Younger people more than older people have benefited on this front especially single people who are happy to be around their coworkers once again.
Despite all that, the strains of commuting and maintaining a healthy work-life balance mean that 44.5% of people we surveyed say they are less interested in sex now that they’re back in the office.
Overall, it’s Gen Z respondents who have been impacted one way or another by switching from a remote work setting, with 4.76% saying they haven’t experienced a single change to their sexual desire, compared with 30.55% of millennials who say the same thing.
Methodology & Sources
Our aim was to find out the impact of sexual desire upon returning to the workplace. We commissioned a survey of 1011 U.S. Consumers aged 18-40 who are dating or in a relationship, asking them, “Since returning to the office, what, if any, changes have you experienced in your sexual desire?”
Our survey employed a multiple-choice format, allowing respondents to select any and all options that applied to them.
The data was then segmented by gender and location to identify patterns and differences in user experiences.
