Table 4.
Reasons for Lack of Sexual Activity among Survey Respondents Who Had Not Had Sex during the Previous 3 Months.*
| Reason | Respondents with Spousal or Intimate Relationship | Respondents without Spousal or Intimate Relationship | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57–64 yr | 65–74 yr | 75–85 yr | 57–64 yr | 65–74 yr | 75–85 yr | |
| Lack of interest in sex — no. (%) | ||||||
| Men | 60 (13.5) | 139 (11.7) | 132 (19.1) | 39 (18.3) | 69 (22.0) | 78 (32.1) |
| Women | 81 (23.8) | 105 (25.0) | 95 (24.9) | 133 (43.0) | 214 (47.0) | 295 (60.3) |
| Partner not interested in sex — % | ||||||
| Men | 29.5 | 10.3 | 16.8 | |||
| Women | 19.2 | 19.8 | 15.8 | |||
| Physical health problems or limitations — % | ||||||
| Men | 40.3 | 56.6 | 61.4 | 27.4 | 15.7 | 28.3 |
| Women | 16.8 | 16.7 | 24.8 | 9.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 |
| Partner’s physical health problems or limitations — % | ||||||
| Men | 20.1 | 31.3 | 22.7 | |||
| Women | 63.2 | 63.4 | 64.8 | |||
| Grief — % | ||||||
| Men | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 5.9 | 12.3 | 13.5 |
| Women | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.4 | 8.6 | 10.3 |
| Have not met the right person — no. (%)† | ||||||
| Men | 32 (23.8) | 48 (52.1) | 59 (24.6) | |||
| Women | 99 (47.0) | 157 (35.9) | 199 (28.8) | |||
| Have not met a willing partner — no. (%)† | ||||||
| Men | 32 (15.3) | 48 (14.4) | 59 (6.3) | |||
| Women | 99 (12.0) | 157 (10.4) | 199 (3.4) | |||
| Lack of opportunity — % | ||||||
| Men | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 28.1 | 16.7 | 17.3 |
| Women | 5.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 15.5 | 20.3 | 7.7 |
| Religious beliefs prohibit sex outside marriage — % | ||||||
| Men | 8.5 | 2.7 | 9.3 | 12.3 | 10.1 | 12.1 |
| Women | 4.9 | 4.6 | 5.8 | 20.3 | 22.6 | 14.6 |
| Concern about becoming infected with a sexually transmitted disease — % | ||||||
| Men | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 15.9 | 12.0 | 8.1 |
| Women | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 17.4 | 16.7 | 6.1 |
Respondents were asked to check as many reasons as applied. Additional reasons listed included: painful intercourse, respondent’s emotional problems, partner’s emotional problems, family would not approve, friends would not approve, and lack of sufficient privacy. Each of these reasons was selected by fewer than 5% of respondents. The numbers of respondents are those who could have chosen the reason for the lack of sexual activity, and the percentages are the estimated proportion of respondents who chose that reason. Estimates are weighted to account for differential probabilities of selection and differential nonresponse.
These items were omitted from the in-person interview if the respondent reported having a spousal or other intimate relationship; in the leave-behind questionnaire, these items were omitted to avoid confusion on the part of the respondent. The same numbers of respondents could have selected “have not met the right person” and “have not met a willing partner” as reasons for lack of sexual activity; the percentages are the estimated proportions of respondents who chose these reasons.