As sexy September draws to a close (*sigh), we bid a fondest farewell to the month that brought us the Body+Soul 2024 Sex Census, ending the survey’s five year hiatus from our webpages. 

After grilling the pants off more than 2,000 Aussies back in May, we’ve spent the past four weeks bringing the people of Australia exactly what they didn’t know they needed – the juiciest gossip on what makes us tick and exactly what gets us off. 

From the orgasm gap to dating apps, who’s not using condoms and who’s cheating on who, the most surprising places Aussies are doing it and Australia’s top fantasies, and exactly how many people the nation has slept with, we’ve delivered the unfiltered truth straight from Aussie bedrooms. And let us tell you, the people did not hold back. 

Now we know all about the country’s habits, behaviours and attitudes towards sex, relationships, dating and education, and what our leading experts also have to say on how to build stronger, healthier and happier sex lives. Because you can never be too informed.

So if you missed out on our 30(!) articles that covered every nitty gritty dirty detail of the Sex Census across sexy September, then we would thoroughly recommend that you put on something silky, lay back and devour every single last word. 

Otherwise, for the last time this month, here is a list of the top 10 takeaways from the Body+Soul 2024 Sex Census.

#1. Online dating isn’t the only way to meet people

You might want to sit down for this one because holy moly you don’t actually have to SWIPE SWIPE SWIPE for the rest of eternity to pick up a partner. People are actually meeting other people IN REAL LIFE (shocking we know). According to our survey, online dating is the third most common way to meet someone (nine per cent), because when we asked our tributes ‘how did you meet your current or most recent partner’, 18 per cent said they were introduced through mutual friends or family friends, while 13 per cent had a meet-cute at work. Also, put down your popular opinion that Tinder is just a hookup app because it was voted the most popular platform to meet a partner!

#2. Women aren’t masturbating much 

While the country is certainly having some well deserved me time, with one in three people getting themselves off multiple times a week, there’s a huge disparity between men and women. To no surprise to anyone, 58 per cent of the male population is taking care of itself regularly (once a week or more), but just 32 per cent of females are flicking the bean. Maybe it’s because they haven’t picked up a sex toy with the Sex Census showing that only 34 per cent have delighted in a solo sesh with a device.

#3. We’re a nation of cheaters

Done something you shouldn’t have? Turns out you’re not alone. According to the sex census, 15 per cent of Aussies have cheated on an ex while five per cent have committed infidelity while with their current partner. That means one in five of us have crossed the line while a further 10 per cent say they haven’t actually cheated but it’s crossed their mind.

#4. The most frequent relationship rows are over money

While 20 per cent of Aussies say they never fight with their partner (what’s your secret??), for those that do, money is the most common source of complaints. Almost one in five (17 per cent) say they clash over cash while arguments over family members outside of the household, sex and each other’s contributions to the house/family are only issues for six, five, and five per cent of people respectively.

#5. People aren’t rushing into bed..or are they?

In one of the most surprising results from the Sex Census, we learnt that almost one in three people are forgoing the three date rule and are instead waiting a few weeks to sleep with someone new. (Of course this may be cancelled out by the fact that a quarter of Aussies have had sex within just six hours of meeting someone.)

#6. Singles aren’t using protection

Call it a condom conundrum but it appears that singles aren’t wrapping it up before they get it on. Our data shows that while 68 per cent of Aussies agree that safe sex should be a priority on every sexual occasion, one in four (26 per cent) don’t use contraception. Then we asked the singles and the results left us deleting the dating apps, because according to the Sex Census 20 per cent of singles and 19 per cent of those dating or in situationships never ever use protection.

#7. We’re not sleeping around as much as we think we are

‘What’s your number?’ we asked the nation. And boy did it reply. According to our hot stats, the average male has slept with 16.4 people while the everyday woman has gone to bed with 12.1 men. These numbers should actually be even lower because 69 per cent of Aussies have had less than 10 sexual partners, but there was a small number who’d racked up many more notches on their bed posts so this bumped the country’s average up to 11.6.

#8. We’re all doing it in bed and at night 

Australia, it is time to shake things up! The sex census shows that the bedroom is the most popular place to get kinky for 93 per cent of people, while getting off before nodding off is the most common time to have sex. Which is all well and good until you fall into a standard sex formula of doing the same thing over and over again. Head here to read the six places you have sex that aren’t the bedroom and spice up your schedule ASAP.

#9. Missionary is the preferred position

The nation has spoken! According to 2,000 Aussies, missionary is their favourite position and while this also rings true for the female population, men actually prefer doggy style. When it comes to a battle of the ages, however, millennials take the cake for being the most sexually adventurous, spinning their bodies into more sex positions than all other generations, while Gen Z is spending more time in cowgirl than any other role.

#10. The orgasm gap persists

No matter how much we write about it, there is still a huge difference between the number of times men and women reach their peak. According to the Sex Census, 44 per cent of men orgasm every single time they have sex compared to just 16 per cent of women. And after repeatedly reading our results over the course of the last month, we think we know why. 

According to several of our sexperts, for the clitoris to become fully engorged, filled with blood and ready for pleasure, both externally and internally, it takes on average about 20 to 40 minutes. Which begs the question, are we rushing in too soon? Yes, says the survey, which found that the average length of time for foreplay is 10.4 minutes while sex only goes for 16.5 minutes for most Aussies. Meaning that by the time intercourse is over – 26.9 minutes later – many women aren’t even ready for action.