Canadians in the Atlantic provinces have the most satisfying sex and romantic lives, while those in B.C. are less than happy with what happens in the bedroom, according to a new Ipsos poll.
The poll, conducted exclusively for Global News, found that 61 per cent of Canadians were satisfied with their “sex or romantic lives” with those in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador reporting a higher 71 per cent satisfaction in the lovemaking department. Residents in Saskatchewan and Manitoba were second with 68 per cent of respondents saying they were satisfied.
Fifty-seven per cent of B.C residents said they were sexually satisfied. Ontarians weren’t far behind with 59 per cent and Alberta and Quebec both reported 60 per cent approval rates.
Amy Muise, a professor at the University of Toronto who specializes in sexuality research, says that people who are in relationships tend to be more pleased with their sex lives than their single counterparts.
“People who are in romantic relationships tend to be more satisfied in part because often they access to a regular sexual partner,” said Muise. “Most of the sex we have occurs in the context of an ongoing relationship… not that people who aren’t in relationships don’t have access to sex partners but it can be more difficult.”
Muise says different expectations can also lead to trouble.
“Partners having different sexual interests can be challenging to navigate,” she said. “If one partner wants to have sex more often and the other partner doesn’t that can be challenge.”
The online poll of 2,002 Canadians found that while some Canadians may be lacking time between the sheets, they are positive about their health (78 per cent), social life (73 per cent) and are generally happy (81 per cent).
However, confidence about their personal financial situations is another matter as just 60 per cent of Canadians are fiscally happy and are less impressed with the country’s overall economic performance in 2015 compared to 2014.
The poll found only 36 per cent of respondents classified this year’s economy as “good”, down from 56 per cent the previous year.
A tip for better sex
Muise says if you’re looking for greater sexual fulfilment it’s what you do post-coitus that can lead to a happy sex life.
In a 2014 study she found that cuddling after intercourse, especially among new parents, can keep the fires burning stronger.
READ MORE: Having sex is all about quality, not quantity, Canadian study says
In the two-part study of roughly 330 people, Muise looked at what couples do after sex and how it impacts their relationship.
Muise found that on average people are affectionate for about 15 minutes post-sex. She then asked couples in her study to cuddle for a longer period of time.
Once they got into that habit, they reported a longer “afterglow” and during a three-month follow-up, the couples were happier with their sex lives and their relationship.
“What we’re finding is that all sex isn’t created equal. Some sex leads to more positive outcomes than others,” Muise told Global News in an interview last year.
-With files from Carmen Chai
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Exclusive Global News Ipsos polls are protected by copyright. The information and/or data may only be rebroadcast or republished with full and proper credit and attribution to “Global News Ipsos Reid.” For the poll, a sample of 2,002 Canadians from the Ipsos panel was interviewed from December 16 to 18, 2015 and is accurate to within 2.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
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