Summary of results from the 3rd National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles

Results published today in The Lancet give the most detailed picture yet of the British population's sex lives over the last 10 years, as part of the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) survey. Over 15,000 adults aged 16-74 participated in s between September 2010 and August 2012. Studying this large representative sample of people living in Britain allowed the researchers to produce key estimates on patterns of sexual behaviour, attitudes, health, and wellbeing across the population. Two previous Natsal surveys have taken place, in 1990 and 2000, making it one of the biggest and most comprehensive studies of sexual behaviour undertaken in a single country. The results from the latest survey take into account for the first time the views and experiences of older individuals up to the age of 74 and show that many people remain sexually active well into later life. Results from the survey show that different aspects of sexual health affect people at different times throughout their lives, and that sexual health is an important component of our overall health and wellbeing. They also reveal how sexual attitudes and lifestyles have changed in the last sixty years.