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Public sex, an activity that straddles the line between thrill and taboo, has intrigued people across cultures and eras. While often shrouded in secrecy due to legal and social stigmas, the prevalence and attitudes toward public sex can reveal much about societal norms and personal boundaries.
This statistical analysis aims to shed light on the phenomenon of public sex, exploring how common it is, who is most likely to engage in it, and where it is legally permissible.
Table of contents:
- How Many Have Had Sex in Public?
- Who Would Want to Have Sex in Public?
- How Common is a Fetish for Public Sex?
- Top Places People Have Had Sex in Public
- Countries Where Public Sex is Legal
- US States and Public Sex
- Are Americans Prudes?
- Punishment for Public Sex
Key Findings
- 42% of Americans have had sex in public.
- 81% have had sex in public or would like to try it (Less than 20% would not want to).
- 46% of men report having had sex in public.
- 53% of 45-64 year olds have had sex in public.
- 64% of men report that they have fantasized about voyeurism – watching someone undress or have sex without them knowing.
- Having sex in public is the most common fetish (before foot fetishes, cuckolding, or age play).
How Many Have Had Sex in Public?
- 42.4% of Americans have had sex in public (57.6% have not).
- Men are 10% more likely to report that they have had sex in public.
- People aged 45-64 are more likely to have had sex in public than not (53% have had sex in public).
- Democrats are 6% more likely to have had sex in public than Republicans.
- White people are 10% more likely to have had sex in public, compared to black people.
- A bigger household income has a direct positive correlation with the likelihood of having sex in public.
| Demographic | Have had sex in public | Have not had sex in public | Prefer not to say | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 41% | 48% | 11% | 1972 |
| Female | 31% | 50% | 18% | 2159 |
| 18-29 | 29% | 58% | 13% | 704 |
| 30-44 | 37% | 50% | 13% | 1081 |
| 45-64 | 47% | 40% | 12% | 1612 |
| 65+ | 20% | 57% | 23% | 733 |
| Democrat | 39% | 50% | 12% | 1475 |
| Independent | 36% | 48% | 17% | 1607 |
| Republican | 33% | 52% | 15% | 1048 |
| White | 38% | 47% | 15% | 3124 |
| Black | 28% | 53% | 19% | 460 |
| Hispanic | 30% | 55% | 15% | 547 |
| Under $40k | 38% | 47% | 15% | 1450 |
| $40-80k | 39% | 50% | 11% | 1197 |
| $80k+ | 41% | 51% | 8% | 866 |
| Northeast | 28% | 54% | 17% | 713 |
| Midwest | 35% | 54% | 11% | 1019 |
| South | 39% | 44% | 17% | 1537 |
| West | 39% | 50% | 12% | 862 |
| Total | 36% | 49% | 15% | 4131 |
Who Would Want to Have Sex in Public?
To give the most likely estimate in the meta-study of the percentage of the public with a fetish of having public sex we found an additional complementary dataset with over 153,800 respondents.
From this dataset, we found accurate measurements of the percentage of the public that would like to have sex in public (and haven’t had the chance yet).
- 38.1% would like to have sex in public.
- 80.5% have either had sex in public (42.4%) or would like to have sex in public (38.1%).
- 19.5% of Americans have not had sex in public (57.6%), and also don’t want to.
How Common is a Fetish for Public Sex?
In this study, we have looked at “public sex” not as a fetish linked to the counterpart of voyeurism – exhibitionism. Rather, this study simply looks at the fetish/kink of people who would like the adventure and excitement of the potential/risk of someone seeing them.
Most studies that ranked fetishes comparatively, looked at the very specific hardcore voyeurism or exhibitionism kinks. We do not in this ranking.
Ranked from 1 to 10 the most common fetishes are:
- Public sex fetish
- Foot fetish
- Cuckolding
- Voyeurism
- Infantilism
- Exhibitionism
- Anime/Hentai fetish
- Fetish for bodily fluids (urine, scat, blood, etc.)
- Body size fetishes
- Muscle fetish
Having a fetish to have sex in public spaces is more than 8 times as popular as any other type of fetish.
| Rank | Fetish | Sexological classification | Relative Prevalence | Absolute Prevalence (men, women) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Public sex | Having sex in a public area, Not as an act to get caught. | 45% | 80.5% (72%, 89%) |
| 2 | Feet, toes | Podophilia, foot fetish | 20% | 11% (18%, 4%) |
| 3 | Adulterous partner | Infantilism, DDLG (daddy-dom little girl) | 12% | 8% (15%, <1%) |
| 4 | Watching others (typically undress or during sex) | Voyeurism | 7% | 5% (6%, 4%) |
| 5 | Age play | Watching others (typically undressing or during sex) | 5% | 3% (<1%, 6%) |
| 6 | Public exposure (naked or having sex) | Exhibitionism | 4% | 3% (4%, 2%) |
| 7 | Anime and Hentai | Ecchi, Omorashi | 3% | 2% (1%, 2%) |
| 8 | Body fluids (blood, urine, etc.) | Golden/brown showers, watersport, urophilia, scatophilia, lactaphilia, menophilia, mucophilia | 2% | 1% (1%, <1%) |
| 9 | Body size (obesity, tall, short, etc.) | Chubby chasers, nanophilia | 1% | 1% (ns, ns) |
| 10 | Muscles | Cratophilia (strength), sthenophilia (muscle) | 1% | <1% (ns, <1%) |
Top Places People Have Had Sex in Public
In this section, we are looking into statistics on places where people have had sex in public, where they would like to have sex and a subjective list of the best places.
- 26% have had sex in a public park.
- 16% have had sex in a car.
- 13% have had sex on a Beach or in the ocean.
- 6% have had sex in a public bathroom.
- 4% have had sex in a cinema.
- 4% have had sex in the Library, at a school School, or at University.
- 3% have had sex in a dressing room in a store.
- 2% have had sex in a public swimming pool.
- 2% have had sex on a balcony.
- 1% have had sex in the workplace.
Countries Where Public Sex is Legal
- Germany – Legal to have sex in public as long as you are “covered up”.
- Denmark – In designated parks at certain hours, or as long as you do not expose yourself to others.
- The Netherlands – In Amsterdam, at Vondelpark it is legal, but nude sunbathing is not.
- France – In the town of Cap D’Agde there are annual swinging events at public beaches.
- Croatia – There are no laws preventing nudity or public sex.
- Mexico – Guadalajara, the city recently passed a bill to make public sex legal.
US States and Public Sex
In three different US states the argument could be made that public sex is legal. The three states where public sex is theoretically legal if you are not directly exposing yourself to a third party are Florida, Indiana, and Iowa.
| US State | Is public sex legal? | Law § | Wording of the Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | “Public Sexual Indecency” occurs when a person “intentionally” or “knowingly” engages in an act of sexual contact, oral sexual contact, or sexual intercourse while another person is present, and the defendant is “reckless” about whether the other person, as a reasonable person, would be offended or alarmed by the act. | Ala. Code § 13A-6-68 | public lewdness is a crime. It is treated as a Class C Misdemeanor. |
| Alaska | Not legal, even in private if visible to others | Alaska Stat. § 11.41.460 | engaging in sexual acts in public (or even in private, if the act is visible to others) or exposing your genitals in public are considered illegal |
| Arizona | Not Legal | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 13-1402 | Not Legal |
| Arkansas | A person commits public sexual indecency if he or she engages in any of the following acts in a public place or public view: (1) An act of sexual intercourse; (2) An act of deviant sexual activity; or (3) An act of sexual contact. | Ark. Code Ann. § 5-14-112 | Not Legal |
| California | Not Legal | Cal. Penal Code § 314 | open lewdness is a crime. Under this statute, any conduct that amounts to gross flouting of community standards, with respect to sexuality or nudity in public, qualifies as open lewdness. An example of this could be exposing one’s genitals to a non-consenting person. |
| Colorado | (1) A person engages in sexual intercourse while in a public place; (2) A person exposes themselves in a sexual way for sexual enjoyment while in a public place; (3) A person touches themselves or another person sexually while in a public place; | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-7-302 | The law prohibits exposing your genitals or your intimate body parts in public. It also prohibits having sex in public. |
| Connecticut | Not Legal | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-186 | it is illegal to expose one’s sexual parts in public or the private dwelling or habitat of another individual, in a way that is intentionally meant to be vulgar or sexual. |
| Delaware | Not Legal | Del. Code Ann. tit. 11, § 761 | lewdness is a crime in public places or in places where the person engaging in lewdness knows that they are likely to offend or alarm other people. Offenses are treated as class B misdemeanors. |
| Florida | Legal, when not exposing sexual parts | Fla. Stat. § 800.03 | It is a crime to engage in or to solicit anyone to engage in lewd or dissolute conduct in any public place or any place open to the public or exposed to public view. |
| Georgia | Not Legal | Ga. Code Ann. § 16-6-8 | an individual commits public indecency when they perform one of the following acts in a public place: (1) an act of sexual intercourse; (2) a lewd exposure of the individual’s sexual organs; (3) a lewd appearance in a state of partial or complete nudity; (4) a lewd caress or indecent fondling of someone else’s body. |
| Hawaii | Not Legal | §707-734 & §712-1217 | Not Legal |
| Idaho | Not Legal | ID Code § 18-4116 | Every person who willfully and lewdly, either: (1) Exposes his or her genitals, in any public place, or in any place where there is present another person or persons who are offended or annoyed thereby; or (2) Procures, counsels, or assists any person so to expose his or her genitals, where there is present another person or persons who are offended or annoyed thereby is guilty of a misdemeanor. |
| Illinois | Not legal | 720 ILCS 5/11-30 | a person who is 17 or older commits a public indecency when: Performing an act of sexual penetration or sexual conduct; or. Engaging in lewd exposure of the body with the intent to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires of a person. |
| Indiana | Legal, when not visible to others | § 35-45-4-1 | A person who exposes the person’s genitals or pubes to another, not the person’s spouse, or who commits a sex act in the presence of or view of a third person, commits a serious misdemeanor, if: (1) The person does so to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires of either party; and (2) The person knows or reasonably should know that the act is offensive to the viewer. |
| Iowa | Legal, if reasonable to suspect others are not present | §709.9 | Not Legal |
| Kansas | Not Legal | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 21-3508 | Indecent exposure is knowingly and intentionally exposing a person’s genitals in a manner intended to cause affront or alarm. |
| Kentucky | Not Legal | Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 510.130 | A person is guilty of indecent exposure when he or she exposes his or her genitals or anus under circumstances in which he or she knows or should know that it is likely to cause affront or alarm. |
| Louisiana | Indecent exposure is the intentional exposure of the genitals or buttocks of the offender in any of the following circumstances: (1) the offender is in a public place and the exposure is done with the intent of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of the offender or another person, or (2) the offender is in a place where he or she knows or should know that the conduct is offensive to public decency. | La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 14:106 | A person is guilty of indecent conduct if, in a public place or sight of a public place, the person engages in conduct that manifests a reckless disregard of the fact that other persons are present and would be offended or alarmed by such conduct, and such conduct serves no legitimate purpose. |
| Maine | Not Legal | 17-A M.R.S. § 854 | Not Legal |
| Maryland | Not Legal | Md. Code Ann., Crim. Law § 11-107 | A person may not expose his or her genitals or anus in public or private places where others are present and where the person intends to be seen by others in a manner that is offensive to common decency. |
| Massachusetts | Not Legal | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272, § 53 | Whoever, willfully and lewdly, exposes his person or genitals in any highway, public place, or within the view of any person passing by, or any place in sight thereof, or places himself in any place within sight of any person passing by in any such highway or public place, and in such a manner as is calculated to offend against decency or good morals, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. |
| Michigan | Not Legal | Mich. Comp. Laws § 750.335a | Not Legal |
| Minnesota | A person shall not knowingly make any open or indecent exposure of his or her person or the person of another. | Minn. Stat. § 617.23 | Indecent exposure is when a person exposes his or her genitals in a public place, or in a place where others are present, and the act is likely to offend, affront, or alarm others. |
| Mississippi | Not Legal | Miss. Code Ann. § 97-29-31 | A person who willfully and indecently exposes his or her person in a public place, in the presence of any other person or persons, with the intent of insulting the sensibilities of any such person or persons, or for any other immoral or indecent purpose, shall be fined not more than $500.00, or imprisoned not more than six (6) months, or both. |
| Missouri | Not Legal | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 566.090 | A person commits the crime of sexual misconduct in the first degree if he or she exposes his or her genitals under circumstances in which he or she knows that such conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm. |
| Montana | Not Legal | Mont. Code Ann. § 45-5-504 | A person commits the offense of indecent exposure if the person knowingly or purposely exposes genitals under circumstances in which the person knows the conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm. |
| Nebraska | Not legal | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-806 | A person commits indecent exposure if he or she exposes his or her genitals or pubic area in a public place or in a place where there is present another person or persons under circumstances in which he or she knows or should know that such conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm. |
| Nevada | Not Legal | Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 201.220 | A person who willfully and lewdly exposes his or her body, or the private parts thereof, in any public place, or in any place where there are present other persons who may be offended or annoyed thereby, is guilty of a misdemeanor. |
| New Hampshire | A person commits a disorderly persons offense if he or she exposes his or her intimate parts to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of the actor or any other person under circumstances where the actor knows or reasonably expects to be observed by a victim who is less than 13 years of age, and who is at least 2 years younger than the actor. A person commits a crime of the fourth degree if he or she exposes his or her intimate parts to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of the actor under circumstances where the actor knows or reasonably expects to be observed by a victim who is at least 13 years of age. | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 645:1 | A person is guilty of indecent exposure if he or she purposely exposes his or her genitals under circumstances in which he or she knows that such conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm. |
| New Jersey | Indecent exposure consists of a person knowingly exposing his or her genitals in a public place where others are present and where he or she knows or should know, that such conduct is likely to cause significant distress or alarm. | N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:14-4 | Not Legal |
| New Mexico | Not legal | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-9-13 | Not Legal |
| New York | Not legal | N.Y. Penal Law § 245.01 | A person is guilty of exposure if he or she appears in a public place in such a manner that the private or intimate parts of his or her body are unclothed or exposed. |
| North Carolina | Not Legal | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-190.9 | A person is guilty of indecent exposure if he or she exposes his or her private parts in any public place or in any place where others are present or procure another to so expose private parts for sexual arousal or gratification. |
| North Dakota | Not Legal | N.D. Cent. Code § 12.1-20-12 | A person is guilty of a class B misdemeanor if, with intent to harass or alarm another person, he or she exposes his or her genitals under circumstances in which the person knows or should know that the conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm. |
| Ohio | Not Legal | Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 2907.09 | No person shall recklessly expose his or her private parts in the presence of another, in a manner that would likely offend, affront, or alarm the other person, and the defendant knows or reasonably should know that the other person is present. |
| Oklahoma | Not Legal | Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 21, § 1021 | Every person who willfully and wrongfully commits any indecent or lascivious act in the presence of any person under sixteen (16) years of age, or procures any person under sixteen (16) years of age to commit any indecent or lascivious act, shall be guilty of a felony. Any person who is convicted of the offense of indecent exposure shall be guilty of a misdemeanor for the first offense, and a felony for the second or any subsequent offense. |
| Oregon | A person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if, with intent to harass, annoy, or alarm another person, he or she exposes his or her genitals knowing that such conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm. | Or. Rev. Stat. § 163.465 | Not Legal |
| Pennsylvania | Not legal | 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3127 | A person commits the crime of public indecency if while in, or given, a public place the person performs: (1) An act of sexual intercourse; (2) An act of deviated sexual intercourse; or (3) Exposes his or her genitals with the intent of arousing the sexual desire of the person or another person. |
| Rhode Island | Not Legal | R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-45-1 | A person is guilty of indecent exposure if he or she intentionally exposes his or her genitals or buttocks in any public place or private place where others may be offended or annoyed thereby and under circumstances where he or she knows or should know that the conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm. |
| South Carolina | Not Legal | S.C. Code Ann. § 16-15-130 | It is unlawful for a person to wilfully or maliciously expose his person, in any manner, in any public place, on any property of others, or in any place where there is an expectation of privacy, without the consent of the person observed, except for purposes of diagnosis or treatment or when a mother breastfeeds her child in a public place. |
| South Dakota | Not Legal | S.D. Codified Laws § 22-24A-1 | A person is guilty of indecent exposure if, with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person, he or she exposes his or her genitals in the presence of any person under circumstances in which the actor knows or should know that the conduct is likely to cause offense or alarm. |
| Tennessee | Not Legal | Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-511 | A person commits the offense of indecent exposure who, in a public place and under circumstances in which the person knows or should know the conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm: (1) Intentionally exposes the person’s genitals or buttocks; (2) Engages in sexual contact with an animal; or (3) Engages in acts of masturbation. |
| Texas | Not legal, if anyone sees it. | Tex. Penal Code § 21.08 | A person commits an offense if he or she knowingly exposes his or her anus or any part of his or her genitals with intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person, and he or she is reckless about whether |
| Utah | A person is guilty of lewdness involving a child if the person exposes his or her genitals, the female breast below the top of the areola, the buttocks, or the anus and intends the conduct to cause or arouse the sexual desire of the person or the child, and the person is reckless about whether a child under 14 years of age is present who will be offended or alarmed by the person’s conduct. | Utah Code Ann. § 76-9-702 | Not Legal |
| Vermont | Not Legal | 13 Vt. Stat. Ann. § 2602 | A person who intentionally exposes his or her genitals in a public place, or in a place where others are present, or procures another to so expose his or her genitals, under circumstances where he or she knows or should know that the conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm, shall be imprisoned not more than one year or fined not more than $1,000. |
| Virginia | Not Legal | Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-387 | Any person who intentionally makes an obscene display or exposure of his person, or the private parts thereof, in any public place, or in any place where others are present, or procures another to so expose himself or take part in any model artist exhibition, or prepares, sells, or distributes any obscene matter, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. |
| Washington | Not Legal | Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 9A.88.010 | A person is guilty of indecent exposure if he or she intentionally makes any open and obscene exposure of his or her person or the person of another knowing that such conduct is likely to cause reasonable affront or alarm. |
| West Virginia | Not Legal | W. Va. Code Ann. § 61-8-14 | Any person who, exposes his or her person, or the private parts thereof, in any public place, or in any place where others are present, or procures another to so expose himself or take part in any model artist exhibition, or prepares, sells, or distributes any obscene matter, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. |
| Wisconsin | Not Legal | Wis. Stat. Ann. § 944.20 | Whoever, in a public or private place, engages in indecent exposure, is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. |
| Wyoming | Not legal | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-4-303 | A person commits indecent exposure if he or she knowingly exposes his or her genitals in a public place under circumstances in which his or her conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm. |
Are Americans Prudes?
We asked respondents to answer if they felt that Americans were too easily offended by nudity or sex.
| Demographic | Agree | Disagree | Not sure | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 62% | 24% | 14% | 1984 |
| Female | 44% | 34% | 22% | 2159 |
| 18-29 | 58% | 24% | 18% | 704 |
| 30-44 | 60% | 22% | 18% | 1085 |
| 45-64 | 50% | 32% | 18% | 1612 |
| 65+ | 41% | 41% | 17% | 742 |
| Democrat | 66% | 23% | 11% | 1479 |
| Independent | 51% | 25% | 24% | 1607 |
| Republican | 38% | 46% | 15% | 1056 |
| White | 53% | 30% | 17% | 3136 |
| Black | 54% | 25% | 20% | 460 |
| Hispanic | 52% | 29% | 19% | 547 |
| Under $40k | 50% | 30% | 20% | 1454 |
| $40-80k | 53% | 32% | 15% | 1201 |
| $80k+ | 63% | 27% | 9% | 870 |
| Northeast | 54% | 26% | 20% | 717 |
| Midwest | 49% | 32% | 20% | 1019 |
| South | 55% | 29% | 16% | 1537 |
| West | 52% | 30% | 18% | 870 |
| All | 53% | 29% | 18% | 4143 |
Punishment for Public Sex
In addition to asking respondents if they have had sex in public, or if they wanted to do so, we also asked them about their views on punishment. Each respondent we told to indicate what type of punishment, if any, people who got busted having sex in public should get.
| Demographic | None | Ticket | Probation | Prison time | Not sure | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 17% | 45% | 15% | 6% | 18% | 1951 |
| Female | 10% | 42% | 19% | 10% | 20% | 2109 |
| 18-29 | 14% | 46% | 16% | 7% | 16% | 704 |
| 30-44 | 20% | 40% | 16% | 9% | 15% | 1081 |
| 45-64 | 12% | 43% | 16% | 6% | 22% | 1583 |
| 65+ | 5% | 43% | 21% | 10% | 21% | 692 |
| Democrat | 14% | 43% | 14% | 8% | 21% | 1462 |
| Independent | 17% | 40% | 16% | 7% | 20% | 1587 |
| Republican | 6% | 48% | 23% | 9% | 14% | 1011 |
| White | 14% | 46% | 17% | 5% | 18% | 3062 |
| Black | 17% | 36% | 11% | 10% | 27% | 452 |
| Hispanic | 10% | 32% | 21% | 22% | 15% | 547 |
| Under $40k | 16% | 37% | 19% | 8% | 21% | 1433 |
| $40-80k | 13% | 52% | 16% | 5% | 14% | 1185 |
| $80k+ | 13% | 46% | 16% | 6% | 18% | 845 |
| Northeast | 18% | 33% | 21% | 11% | 18% | 713 |
| Midwest | 11% | 47% | 18% | 7% | 17% | 994 |
| South | 12% | 45% | 15% | 8% | 20% | 1512 |
| West | 14% | 43% | 17% | 7% | 19% | 841 |
| All | 14% | 43% | 17% | 8% | 19% | 4060 |