Survey reveals we can get satisfaction

Survey reveals we can get satisfaction

We may not be as romantic as the French or as persistent as the Italians, but clearly we’re doing something right in the love stakes.

The third annual 2007 K-Y® Brand Loving Touch Survey reveals a striking nine out of 10 New Zealand adults are satisfied with their sex lives. And the reason could just be because we are happy to spice things up in the bedroom.

The survey polled more than 3,000 New Zealanders on the Internet and in a national women’s magazine in December and January. It was designed to gain insight into New Zealanders’ relationships and polled predominantly females throughout the country aged 18 and older and in committed relationships.

Nationally 93 per cent of us generally find sexual intimacy with our partners to be ‘very’ or ‘somewhat satisfying’. Slightly fewer of us (91 per cent) are either ‘very’ or ‘within reason’ open to trying new things.

But all is not entirely rosy in the Kiwi house of love. Of the respondents to the survey, 43 per cent think their relationship is less romantic now than when they first met their partners.

According to relationship expert Suzanne Innes-Kent, the lower level of satisfaction with romance probably suggests the need for a rethink amongst Kiwi lovers.

“The survey shows that the drop in romance can be equated with the length of the relationship,” she says, “and points to a need for couples to find new ways to enjoy sexual intimacy. This rather than trying to meet a fantasy of sexual expression that is more likely in the early stages of a relationship. This is probably our biggest romance challenge as a country.”
Massages and cuddles (33 per cent and 27 per cent respectively) are the most popular method of “getting in the mood” the survey reveals backing the results of the 2006 K-Y® Brand Loving Touch Survey. And with Valentine’s Day upon us, Innes-Kent says both are signs of a desire for personal nurturing.

“As a precursor to wanting sexual contact, undemanding care remains a major theme – you cannot keep romance alive by pressuring your partner to be close. The art is to arouse your partner’s interest in you by giving the kind of attention that makes him or her feel warm and loved.”

While there was a huge majority who said they were willing to try new things, people were mixed in their willingness to talk about their desires Innes-Kent says.

“The survey trends suggest a real challenge to longer term relationships in nurturing their intimacy. More established love is more companionable, less intense.

“We need to pay attention to our partners, notice when they are looking attractive and telling them so; touching in gentle, undemanding ways, offering cuddles, massage and special time alone with us.”

Innes-Kent – author of Love for All Seasons: Finding intimacy through relationship challenges – says there are a number of other clear messages from the survey.

• Relationships of less than five years are marked by:
o a greater sense of closeness and fun as reasons for sex;
o a bigger interest in romantic dates as a way of enhancing intimacy;
o a stronger sense the relationship is romantic.

• In relation to female preferences, males were:
o more likely to have done something romantic for their partners;
o half as likely as women to see their interest level as a problem;
o more confident their partners know their sense of sexual satisfaction;
o more willing to try new things;
o more likely to link sexual satisfaction with happiness.

• Regionally:
o People who live in Northland top the list of those less romantic now than when they first met their partners; if you live in Poverty Bay you’re doing well where 55 per cent rate their current romantic levels as just as high as when they met their partners.
o If you live in Westland (84 per cent), Otago (81 per cent) or the North Island’s Central Plateau (79 per cent) you’re more likely to have done something romantic for your partner in the past day, week or month.
o There must be something in the water in Gisborne – Poverty Bay residents are more likely to want to communicate and talk about sex than those in other provinces.
o Survey respondents in Canterbury would rather date Johnny Depp than Dan Carter but prefer the All Black to Brad Pitt.
o And wouldn’t you know, Aucklanders are more likely to enjoy sex if they talk about.

• There is an overwhelming desire amongst Kiwis for more romance and acts of romantic attention are increasing with 53 per cent having done something romantic in the past week.

ENDS

© Scoop Media