Health. Are French people's sex lives boring and routine?

Sexuality appears to be less and less central to relationships. While the term "sex recession" has been gaining ground in France in recent years, a new study confirms the trend.

The survey by the Discurv institute for Xlovecam (adult entertainment site) published on Wednesday July 30, therefore focuses on the sexual lives of the French, via a questionnaire to which more than 1,300 French people aged over 18 responded.

The decline of a sex life deemed uninhibited

According to the Xlovecam study, 45% of people in a relationship describe their sex life as "standard", 26% as "routine".

In 2015, according to an Ifop survey, 28% of women described their sex life as uninhibited, compared to 21% in 2025. Today, 26% of them see their sex life as routine, compared to only 19% in 2015.

45% of women report having less frequent intercourse than before, compared to 37% in 1996. The proportion of those who no longer have sexual intercourse has also increased (+5 pts).

Another lesson from the survey: "In three decades, the dissatisfaction of French couples with their sexual activity has more than doubled, rising from 9% in 1997 to 23% today."

And while 47% of people in a relationship declared themselves “very satisfied” with their intimate life in 1997, according to an Ifop survey for VSD, only one in three (32%) share this feeling today.

Less communication within the couple

Sexual satisfaction declines, as does communication about the sexual desires of the protagonists.

According to the results, only 56% of people in relationships say they talk about what excites them sexually with their partner. The figure is lower among women, at 53%, while according to a 1998 Ipsos survey, the figure was 62%.

Moreover, to the question "are you making efforts to spice up your relationship?", 36% of those questioned answered no in 2025, compared to 17% according to a VSD survey in 1997; 80% said they were making efforts in 1997, but only 65% ​​said so in 2025.

Bored in bed?

In 2025, 41% of people in a relationship say they never get bored during sex. 37% of women say they never get bored, compared to 52% in 1996 (Ifop poll for Elle).

Women Today, 22% are bored from time to time, 8% often compared to 12% and 2% in 1996.

Boredom appears to be more prevalent among young people (25-34 years old) since 33% of them report being bored from time to time (only 16% of women over 45), 7% often and 23% rarely.

And love?

Despite these results, which may seem lackluster, couples are doing quite well. 90% of French people say they are still in love, even though 48% of them say that tenderness has taken precedence over love.

*Discurv study for XloveCam carried out by self-administered online questionnaire from June 6 to 23, 2025 with a sample of 1,350 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over.

Source : Discurv Study for XloveCam