The Surprising Truth About How Long Brits Really Want Sex to Last—You Won’t Believe the Results

How long should sex last? If you asked Brits across the country, their answers might just blow your stopwatch away. While a chunk of young people are apparently opting out of the whole “getting busy” scene (shoutout to anyone binge-watching Channel 4’s Virgin Island and thinking, “Yep, single life’s got its perks”), plenty still cherish some quality time in the sheets. But hey—everyone’s different, right? That honeymoon sparkle isn’t expected to stick around forever, and according to one savvy expert, a happy couple’s sweet spot is just about once a week. So if you’re only getting one shot at it, pressure’s kinda on to make that moment count—and for the fellas especially, worrying about coming too soon probably isn’t helping. Lucky for us, a fresh poll from Asda Online Doctor just dropped a magic number to aim for: nearly 24 minutes of sexy stamina, please. Foreplay, anyone? If you thought the “average” session was a quick sprint of 3 to 7 minutes (yep, that was shared on a popular podcast), these expectations might just be the wildest pipe dream this side of Glasgow. Oh, and just wait till you see what insecurities are really stealing bedroom mojo across the UK… Curious? LEARN MORE.

A new poll has revealed exactly how long Brits across the country actually want sex to last for and the results are pretty surprising.

Although some young people these days are choosing not to have sex at all, which you’ll be all too aware of if you’ve been tuning into Channel 4 in recent weeks, there are plenty out there who still enjoy spending time between the sheets.

Of course, every person and every relationship is different, and it’s perhaps not realistic to expect that golden period (if you know you know) when you first start dating someone to last forever, with happy couples only needing to do it once a week according to one expert.

If that’s the case, then you certainly don’t want that one time to be disappointing for both parties, and lads in particular will no doubt be conscious of coming to a crescendo too soon, especially with a new partner.

Fortunately, we’ve now got a time to work against and it seems as if stamina is the name of the game, if a new poll from Asda online doctor is anything to judge by.

Might be time to slow things down (Getty Stock)

They asked people from cities across the UK how long they would want sex to last, rather than expect, and the total comes in at a pretty impressive 23 minutes and 45 seconds. I hope you like foreplay, lads.

Given that a sex expert recently revealed on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast that the average time of sex lasts just three to seven minutes, it perhaps may be a pipe dream for those in Glasgow who are expecting just shy of 30 minutes every time.

Cardiff’s demands are a little more understanding, coming in (pardon the pun) at 19 minutes and 45 seconds on average.

London, meanwhile, wants 23 minutes seven seconds, Manchester 22 minutes 13 seconds, and Birmingham 23 minutes 55 seconds.

The survey also asked participants to reveal what is preventing them from having more regular sex, with insecurities surrounding the body and nerves about not satisfying your partner a key issue for both men and women.

The survey asked men and women what the main reason they had avoided sex in the last 12 months was, and the main hangups were weight (48 percent) and performance anxiety (42 percent).

Forty-four percent of women avoided sex because of anxieties about their body hair, while 34 percent opted against it because of concerns about how their vulva looked.

As for men, 36 percent of men avoided sex because they were worried about their penis size.

Insecurities are meaning people are having sex far less (Getty Stock)

Perhaps the most shocking findings of the survey saw that nine percent of people think about their colleagues during sex, 12 percent check their phone and nine percent of men have turned to AI for sex advice instead of asking their partner. Because of course ChatGPT will definitely know far more about the body of your partner and how to please them than they do themselves.

Dr Crystal Wyllie from Asda Online Doctor said: “Sometimes we feel the need to lie about our pleasure or sexual experience so that we don’t feel judged.

“But while it’s a normal response, getting into the habit of being dishonest about our sexual habits can create emotional distance with a partner and make insecurities even worse.

“Open communication is key for a happy, healthy sexual relationship, so being honest about how we’re feeling is a great first step.”