‘Miami New Times' Releases Sex Survey Results

MIAMI—Three months ago, the Miami New Times started a poll to assess the state of sex in Miami, a laudable goal if ever there was one. Today, the alternative magazine released the results, which were culled from 2,033 respondents, 85 percent of whom were under the age of 42, two-thirds of whom were male and more than half Latino. Of the key findings, the New Times staff said, “Miamians are either the horniest, sluttiest lot on the planet or one heck of a boastful bunch.” Or both, but we digress. Polls like this may be unscientific but they can still provide a window into the soul of the target community. This survey in particular reveals a sexually active population that appears to be unabashed about its sexual behavior and more than a little honest about its fidelity to partners, perhaps the result of the relative youth of the respondents. Of those who participated, 85 percent identified as straight, 8 percent as bi-sexual and 6 percent as gay, with 1 percent chiming in as Other. More than 93 percent said they drink alcohol; almost 60 percent said they do not take [presumably illegal] drugs; 55 percent were Latino, 30 percent white non-Hispanic, 8 percent Black non-Hispanic, 2 percent Asian and 5 percent Other. Regarding sexual activity, about 73 percent said they lost their virginity before the age of 18, but of that group 56 percent said the cherry popped between the ages of 15-18, which is probably consistent with the U.S. population at large. However, 16.5 percent said the act occurred under the age of 15. Frequency of sex ranges across the board, with 22 percent claiming one to two times a week, 21 percent claiming two to three times a week and 15 percent claiming four to six times a week. Only three percent said they had sex daily, though, with two percent laying claim to shagging two to three times a week. On the low end of the frequency scale, almost 40 percent of responders said they have sex once every two weeks or less. 71 percent said they think about sex throughout the day, and 19 percent once a day. Those two combined almost match the 91 percent of respondents who admit to masturbating. 55 percent said they were in a monogamous relationship, 36 percent were single and 9 percent in an open relationship. Surprisingly to us, 61 percent said they had cheated on a partner, with 64 percent saying they had had sex with a stranger. 25 percent of respondents said they never use protection, though and 35 percent said they sometimes do. However, the respondents understanding of protection may be somewhat suspect, in that when asked what sort of safe sex they practice, 18 percent said the Pill and seven percent said withdrawal, as if either of those methods is considered “safe sex.” One question that we were very glad was asked was how respondents obtained their porn. As expected, a large minority said from retail adult stores (six percent), with 79 percent from online sources. Of those, 47 percent said they obtained it legally online, but a full 32 percent owned up to accessing it illegally online. (Maybe the John Doe copyright infringement attorneys should start focusing on Miami!) 15 percent, however, said they obtained their porn from sources other than stores or the internet, but we’re not sure what that means. A few questions we did not expect to see in such a poll asked about race and sex. The answers are certainly interesting, even if they do seem to reinforce sexual stereotypes. When asked which race is the best-endowed, 58 percent said Black non-Hispanic. When asked which race is the most sexually desirable, 55 percent said Hispanic/Latino, with White non-Hispanic second at 27 percent and Black non-Hispanic third at 7.5 percent. Hispanic/Latinos were considered most aggressive in bed for 57 percent of respondents, while 40 percent and 41 percent thought White non-Hispanics and Asians, respectively, were the most passive in bed. Like we said, not scientific but interesting nonetheless.