An exclusive peek behind Scotland's curtains has found that Scots are having
more sexual partners, are slipping between the sheets quicker and indulging in
more one-night stands.
The trend has most noticeably emerged in Dundee, which is clearly not called
the City of Discovery for nothing. The men and women of Scotland's sexiest city
lead the nation in keeping their partners satisfied.
But despite all the energetic activity, almost six out of 10 Scots (57%)
believe they are not getting enough sex. More than ever before have responded
by going internet dating, with 17% actually going out to meet a potential
partner they first encountered in cyberspace.
Scotland on Sunday's second Sex of the Nation survey - first carried out at the
turn of the millennium - has also uncovered other remarkable differences in
boudoir habits between Scotland's regions. Aberdonians take the longest time
over lovemaking - average sessions are 34 minutes, five minutes longer than the
national average - while Glaswegians are most likely to have first had sex
because they were drunk. Edinburghers, meanwhile, are most likely to have
formed a relationship with someone at the office.
For the survey, Scotland on Sunday polled 1,200 adults on what they do, where
they do it, how they do it and whether they were getting enough.
In a message that will disappoint health education professionals, the nation
appears to be getting more promiscuous.
Nationwide, the number of people willing to have sex on a first date has risen
from 17% to 25%, although men (34%) remain more eager than women (14%) to make
an early move. Similarly, the number prepared to have one-night stands has
risen from 54% to 64%. Meanwhile, the number of the men and women who admit to
having 20 or more partners has doubled over the same period, to 22%.
Analysts say the figures show that Scotland's moral stays are being
increasingly loosened. Cynthia McVey, a senior lecturer in psychology at
Glasgow Caledonian University, said: "The secularisation of society is moving
on apace and moral restrictions appear to be progressively diminishing. There
is a danger in terms of public health in that young people are not as worried
about problems such as HIV as they once were.
"For some, sex is about sport rather than as part of a loving relationship and
it appears to be increasingly acceptable for women to behave in this way."
According to the survey, the office now doubles as a dating and mating agency
with half of Scots having had a liaison with a co-worker compared with under a
third (30%) in 2000.
Scotland's long-hours-at-work culture is the reason, analysts believe.
"More people want big houses, big cars and at least two foreign holidays a year
and are prepared to work for their material things," said McVey.
"That means the time they have to go out to socialise is reduced and they are
thrown together a lot more with their co-workers. So they are more likely to
think of each other as sexual partners and this could lead to more one-night
stands.
"The downside of working too hard, however, is that people get too tired or too
stressed and their sex life suffers."
The survey bears this out with a staggering 95% of Scots saying fatigue (64%)
or overwork (31%) has stopped them making love to their partner.
A third (33%) also blame stress for turning them off, while 36% blame the
children. A sign of the times may be that one in eight Scots say they are too
busy watching TV or surfing the internet to give their partner some attention.
When they do get around to it the average Scot will spend around half an hour
on lovemaking but with some surprising regional differences. The men and women
of Grampian have the most staying power, averaging 34 minutes - with Highland
in second place with 33 - compared with just 27 minutes in Strathclyde. The
residents of the Lothians fare slightly better at exactly half an hour.
Scots are also becoming more willing to learn and experiment. Almost half said
they used sex toys and 60% said they watched pornographic videos or DVDs.
More than 40% also said they visited pornographic websites - two thirds of whom
were men and one third women - and (employers take note) 11% said they accessed
porn sites while at work.
In 2000, just one third of Scots said they were completely at ease with
homosexuality. That figure has now risen to more than 60% following a series of
liberalising measures, including equal rights for gay couples in areas such as
adoption and the advent of civil partnerships. Only 6% of Scots are now
"completely against" homosexuality compared with 20% in 2000.
On the amount of sex on TV, about half of the population (55%) believes the
balance is right. But more (22%) believe there is far too much than those who
think there is not enough (17%).
Dundee has emerged as Scotland's sexiest city following a recent survey by a
New York-based think-tank which ranked it among the seven most intelligent
cities in the world because of its cluster of highly-qualified scientists.
'Adopted Dundonian' Lorraine Kelly, the GMTV presenter and outgoing Rector of
Dundee University, said: "Hot on the heels of being voted brightest city in the
world, we are now the sexiest in Scotland. I am not surprised, as walking
through the Overgate or City Square there are loads of gorgeous men and women
of all ages. Also the students at Dundee University are renowned for their
beauty as well as their brains."
A spokesman for the City of Discovery Campaign said: "Intelligent, innovative
and now sexy - it's been a tremendous few days of recognition for Dundee."
