There are actually a large number of legitimate studies, and the statistics don't mesh with anyone's fantasies:
According to a 2017 study by the Archives of Sexual Behavior, the average American married couple has sex 56 times a year, which is around once a week. Experts in TIME and Prevention quote similar numbers, with 51 and 52 times a year, respectively.
Spoiler alert: It’s less than you'd think.
www.menshealth.com
The authors of a 2019 article found that the median number of times people who were cohabiting or married had sex was three times per month. Married or cohabitating couples are more likely to have sex more often than people who are single, divorced, or widowed.
There is no specific number of times a couple should have sex. Learn more about how often couples have sex here.
www.medicalnewstoday.com
Americans in their 20s have sex about 80 times per year, approximately once every four to five days. That number drops to 20 times per year for those in their 60s.
The percentage of married men who reported having sex at least once a week declined from 71.1 percent to 57.7 percent between 2000 and 2018. The percentage of married women who reported the same also decreased (69.1 percent to 60.9 percent).
Have you ever wondered how often people have sex? Or worried about what a "normal" amount of sex is? Science has the answers.
www.psychologytoday.com
By those standards, I'm a 74-year-old whiz kid. I had no idea.