A NEW survey shows British people are having less sex now than in recent years.

The findings, published in the British Medical Journal, suggest nearly a third of men and women have not had sex in the past month.

That's up from around a quarter in 2001, according to the data from 34,000 people.

The responses also show less than half of men and women aged 16 to 44 have sex at least once a week while over-25s and couples who are married or living together account for the biggest falls in sexual activity across the 21-year period.

According to the most recent survey:

  • Less than half (41%) of people aged 16 to 44 have had sex at least once a week in the last month
  • The proportion reporting no sex in the past month has increased - from 23% to 29.3% among women and from 26% to 29.2% among men between 2001 and 2012
  • The proportion reporting sex 10 or more times in the past month has fallen - from 20.6% to 13.2% among women and from 20.2% to 14.4% among men between 2001 and 2012
  • The average number of times that 35 to 44-year-olds reported having sex in the past month fell from four to two among women and from four to three among men

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine say the decrease in sexual frequency has been seen among people who have previously been sexually active, rather than more people deciding to keep their virginity.

Researcher Prof Kaye Wellings said the "sheer pace of modern life" may be a reason why many people are having less sex.

She added: "It is interesting that those most affected are in their mid-life - the so-called 'sandwich' generation. These are men and women who are often juggling work, childcare and responsibilities to parents who are getting older."

The decline coincides with increasing use of social media and a global recession, which may be other contributing factors.

But Prof Wellings said having less sex is not always a bad thing and the results may be a comfort to a lot of people.

She added: "What is important to wellbeing is not how often people have sex but whether it matters to them.

"Most people believe that others have more regular sex than they do themselves.

"Many people are likely to find it reassuring that they are not out of line."