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Welcome to Playboy’s Gen Z Sex Survey. In partnership with The Kinsey Institute and the sexual health brand Julie, we talked to 2,373 adults ages 18 to 29 about their sex lives to get to the bottom of the so-called sex recession, and to get more insight on what’s really going on in the bedroom. Check out the full survey results here. This survey also appears in our Fall 2026 print issue. To have Playboy delivered to your door, subscribe here.
To ensure adequate representation of LGBTQ+ individuals in Playboy‘s Gen Z Sex Survey, we over-recruited sexual minorities, who made up more than one-third of our overall sample (37 percent). Across both solo and partnered sexual behaviors, a consistent pattern emerged: Gay men were the most likely to say they were engaging in these behaviors on a weekly or daily basis and were the least likely to report abstaining compared to their heterosexual, lesbian, and bisexual counterparts.
The vast majority of young gay men we surveyed were sexually active. In the past three months, nearly three-quarters of them reported having engaged in oral sex and hand jobs, while two-thirds reported having anal sex. Furthermore, almost half reported daily masturbation.
Gay men also reported having the highest number of sexual partners in their lives. For example, whereas 49 percent of gay men reported having six or more lifetime sexual partners, just 27 percent of heterosexual adults said the same.
So why do young gay men seem to be less affected by the sex recession? There are likely multiple contributing factors.
Perhaps most obvious, the risk calculus is different.
For gay men, pregnancy isn’t part of the equation, which removes one potential barrier to sexual activity.
Norms around sex are different in the gay community.
Casual sex and non-monogamy are less stigmatized, which lowers the barrier to sexual exploration.
Among gay men, sex and dating have historically been only loosely connected.
In the gay community, a decline in dating doesn’t necessarily have to mean a decline in sex.
Libido differences might be playing a role here as well. In our sample, gay men were the most likely to characterize their level of sexual desire as “very high” and the least likely to describe it as “very low.” Gay men might be having more sex simply because they have the most desire for it. Whatever factors are driving young people away from sex aren’t affecting everyone equally—especially if you’re a gay man.
For the full breakdown of The Playboy 2026 Gen Z Sex Survey with the Kinsey Institute and Julie, go to sexsurvey.playboy.com.