That Many Have Sex on The First Date [Statistics]

In a new survey, we asked respondents to state if they had ever had sex on the first date and then continued to ask them all their background details – which showed some interesting statistics.

The study was conducted on 1,080 respondents over three weeks in, the US only. In total, with weighing of respondents this should make for an accurate representation of the US population.

Table of contents:

• How Many Have Sex on A First Date
• Gender and Sexuality
• Marriage
• By Age
• By Ethnicity
• By Income
• By Region
• Reasons for Having Sex on a First Date
• Reasons Not to Have Sex on a First Date

Top Findings

• 35% have had sex on a first date.
• More than 80% have either had sex on a first date (35.1%) or are open to it (45.7%).
• Women are half as likely as men to report they ever had sex on a first date.
• Gay men and women are twice as likely to have sex on the first date compared to their straight counterparts.
• 72% of gay men report having had sex on a first date.
• 39% of Hispanics report they have had sex on the first date while only 16% of Asians report the same.
• Divorcees are more likely than singles who are never married to have had sex on the first date.
• More than 80% have either had sex on a first date or are open to it.

How Many Have Sex on A First Date

We asked respondents to report primarily if they ever had sex on a first date. However, we also asked them to report if they would consider having sex on a first date.

• 35.1% report that they have had sex on a first date.
• 45.7% report that they would consider having sex on a first date.
• 19.2% report that they would never have sex on a first date.
• Collectively 80.8% have either had sex on a first date or are open to it.

Gender and Sexuality

• 41% of straight men report that they have had sex on a first date.
• 21% of straight women report that they have had sex on a first date.
• 72% of gay men report that they have had sex on a first date.
• 53% of gay women report that they have had sex on a first date.

Of course, the quick math genius would point out, that it seems at odds with logic, that 41% of men report having had sex on a first date, while only 21% of straight women do the same.

This could indicate, that either men are boasting fake sexual encounters, or that 26% of women lie about having sex on a first date.

Marriage

We asked participants to provide us with information about their marital status in three categories:

• Single, Never Married
• Married
• Divorced

And the data on how many have had sex came out as follows:

• Divorcees are more likely than singles who are never married to have had sex on the first date.

By Age

People are more likely to report having had sex on a first date the older they get. However, it’s also obvious that the older the generation the less sexual liberalization was prevalent leading to less sex on a first date.

Percentage who had sex on a first date, by age groups:

• 18 to 24: 22%
• 25 to 34: 39%
• 35 to 44: 39%
• 45 to 54: 39%
• 54 to 64: 34%
• 65 and older: 25%

By Ethnicity

• 38% of White people had sex on a first date.
• 33% of African-American people had sex on a first date.
• 39% of Hispanic people had sex on a first date.
• 16% of Asian people had sex on a first date.

By Income

Here’s the percentage that shows whether or not you’re more likely to have sex on the first date depending on your income.

• Under $25,000: 30%
• $25,000 to $49,999: 35%
• $50,000 to $74,999: 33%
• $75,000 to $99,999: 40%
• $100,000 to $124,999: 34%
• $125,000 or higher: 34%

By Region

Here are the percentages that show how many in the different regions have sex on a first date.

• Northeast: 37%
• Midwest: 30%
• South: 33%
• West: 38%

Reasons for Having Sex on a First Date

We also asked an open-ended question – Why do you think you should or shouldn’t have sex on a first date?

In this way, we could investigate all the different reasons why people choose to have sex on a first date, why they would consider it, or conversely, why they would never do it.

From the people who thought, that it was ok to have sex on a first date, some of the reasons given were:

• Sex – a lot of respondents simply answered the fact that sexual pleasure was the main driver and gain from having sex on a first date.
• Establishes whether there is sexual chemistry. Some respondents proposed that having sex on a first date helped them quickly determine if they would have sexual chemistry with the potential future partner.
• Establishes compatibility. If you’ve got a hold of a dominatrix or Mr. Grey, and you are not into that, then it’s pretty good to know.
• It can’t hurt. Some respondents suggested, that there aren’t any downsides, so just do whatever you want.
• Can weed out someone solely in it for sex, as they will leave after sex. Respondents did admit, that you are giving them what they want by having sex on the first date, but on the other hand – if they don’t want to date you after that then you know it was only to get sex in the first place.
• You are over the awkward first time. Respondents suggested that the first time is always somewhat awkward. Having sex on the first date has a lot less pressure compared to having sex with someone you dated for a long time.

Reasons Not to Have Sex on a First Date

Some respondents also mentioned the potential pitfalls of having sex on the first date. Aggregated, the results came out as follows.

• You might lead the person on. A lot of respondents noted, that having sex on the first date will potentially lead someone to think that you are 100% going to date more, while it might not be the same intentions you had or still have after the first date.
• Regret. Some respondents noted that having sex with someone you don’t know that well will increase the likelihood that you might do something you will regret later or find uncomfortable.
• Terrible sex. We even had some respondents, who did have sex on a first date, not that the sex isn’t always great when people don’t know each other.
• Waiting is good foreplay. Waiting to have sex will build sexual tension and work as an enhancer (just like foreplay).
• Awkwardness. A lot of respondents find that having sex on the first date will be a lot more awkward than with someone they have dated for a while.