One group of married Americans is having more sex — and happier marriages

Married couples who regularly attend church report having more frequent sex and greater sexual satisfaction than those who attend less often or not at all, according to a new report from the Institute for Family Studies in Charlottesville, Virginia. The study analyzed findings from multiple datasets, including the 2026 IFS Religion and Family Survey of 3,125 married adults ages 18–54, the long-running nationally representative General Social Survey, and a separate survey of 1,219 alumni of FOCUS, a Catholic campus ministry.

Regular churchgoers reported having more frequent sex than less religious or non-religious married adults, with regularly attending Catholics reporting some of the highest levels of sexual frequency. The association remained even after accounting for demographic differences. Among married adults ages 20 to 54, 62% of regular churchgoers reported having sex at least once a week, compared with 48% of nonreligious spouses.

In addition to frequency, sexual satisfaction was also higher among church attendants. Catholics and Protestants who regularly attended religious services were more likely to rate their sex lives positively than those who attended less often or had no religious affiliation. Daily prayer was linked to greater sexual satisfaction among married Catholics and Protestants, though it was not associated with more frequent sex.

The study found that those who viewed marriage as a permanent commitment were more likely to report both frequent and satisfying sex. This belief, along with shared values, was also strongly associated with overall marital quality. However, the study's authors noted that the analysis was observational, and it cannot determine whether religious practice directly causes better marital or sexual outcomes.

A marriage therapist, Jessica Steinman, spoke about the potential relationship between religious activity and the quality of a couple's sex life. She suggested that actively participating in a shared spiritual or religious life may contribute to a more active sex life, as it can foster a sense of connection and vulnerability between partners.