The Rocket sent out a survey available to students regarding their experiences and opinions on sex, pornography, romance, love and relationships and the results show the contrast of student’s experience. This years’ sex and love student survey revealed many varying opinions regarding sex on campus, and some things everyone agreed on.
Out of those who responded, 55.2 percent are in relationships, and 27.9 percent of those relationships have lasted over two years. It was fairly agreed that sex is better when you are in love with your partner, with 84.8 percent of those who took the survey saying so.
However, some say millennial romance is not what it used to be, proving to be true as 32.8 percent of us have been asked to have sex via social media, and about a fifth of us having hooked up with someone met on Tinder or Grindr. These dating apps that are commonly used just for hook-ups may be the reason for the different kind of love that millennial seems to experience. Tinder, which came out in 2012, now has 50 million users, with 80 percent of those users being college-aged students. About two-thirds of us agree that society is too focused on sex overall. Over half say that it is important to experiment sexually in college, with 34.8 percent of us having had a one-night stand before, and three percent of us having one-night stands frequently.
Another issue the older generations are arguing changes the younger generations love life is pornography. Only half of students watch porn, and those who do not say they are not interested, it degrades people, or they refrain from watching it for religious or moral reasons. However, with social media’s presence, 71 percent of students say they have come across porn without wanting to, most frequently on Twitter. It is inconclusive what really is different about millennial love culture than years past, but most can agree social media plays a part.
According to Planned Parenthood, one should get tested for STDs right after they become sexually active and most people end up getting an STD in their lifetime, so it is important to get tested. While almost 90 percent of us believe we need to get tested even if you have only been with one person, only 44 percent of students have been tested, when about 80 percent of us are sexually active.
Thankfully, less than one percent of those who responded to the survey have had a STD, and all of them have gotten it treated, either through their doctor or by going to the health center on campus.
As millennial sex culture is changing, the women’s average marrying age is rising (27, according to Huffington Post), but satisfaction rate of student’s sexual activity is going up (71.6 percent, according to our survey). In a study done at the University of Portland, it showed that in reality, college students are not having more sex than college kids did 20 years ago, just less relationships. While results seem to differ in different studies, this just proves that everyone’s love life differs dramatically, especially today.
In reality, over 50 percent of students think other people have more sex than them, when the same percentage of people engage in sexual activity weekly, and 20 percent of students are virgins. While every single person who took the survey has heard of Netflix and Chill, just half have participated, and half agree romantic comedy is the best kind of movie to watch for Netflix and Chill sessions.
In the end, three-quarters of students have hope that romance is still alive, despite the rumors older generations have started about modern romance.
