This Survey was taken over the course of 4 days during May 2000. After eliminating duplicates, incompletes, and frivolous entries, 3,109 submissions were used to calculate the findings. This is the first JackinWorld Survey that welcomed both males and females of all ages to participate. (To see the results of other past JackinWorld Surveys, go here.)
1. What was your age at your most recent birthday?
Average age overall: 22.3
Average age males: 22.4
Average age females: 19.8
Median age overall: 18
2. What is your gender?
* Male: 95.7%
* Female: 4.3%
3. In an average week, about how many times do you masturbate to orgasm?
By age group (both sexes):
11-13: 10.20 times per week
14: 9.17
15: 8.74
16: 8.34
17: 7.92
18-19: 7.98
20-21: 7.53
22-24: 7.95
25-29: 7.50
30-35: 7.03
36-42: 6.65
43-50: 5.17
51-60: 5.39
61 and up: 3.96
By age group and gender:
Males 11-17: 8.69 times per week Females 12-17: 6.01
Males 18-35: 7.73 Females 18-35: 7.00
Males 36 and up: 5.54 Females 36 and up: 9.17
Interestingly, female JackinWorld readers masturbate more often as they get older. This could be related to the popular notion that women reach their sexual peak in their 30s, whereas men do in their late teens. A lot probably has to do with education and women getting more comfortable with their bodies, however.
4. Which of the following best describes the role masturbation plays in your life?
* It is insignificant, playing almost no role
Males: 9.6% Females: 14.3%
* I masturbate because I don't currently have a sex partner
Males: 51.2% Females: 39.8%
* I use it to supplement my sex life – I have a sex partner but masturbate anyway
Males: 20.2% Females: 26.3%
* It's an important sexual outlet because my partner doesn't satisfy me
Males: 2.8% Females: 4.5%
* It's an important sexual outlet because I choose not to have a partner
Males: 16.2% Females: 15.0%
5. Which of the following describes your relationship status?
* I've never had a steady relationship (sexual and emotional) with another person: 43.4%
* I've had a steady relationship with someone, but I'm not in a relationship now and I've never been married: 30.0%
* I am currently in a relationship, but I've never been married: 16.0%
* I am currently married: 7.8%
* I am currently separated, divorced, or widowed: 2.6%
6. Which of the following best describes your feelings about solo masturbation in a relationship?
* When I am in a relationship, I shouldn't have the need to masturbate
Males: 6.5% Females: 9.2% (average age overall: 18.6)
* When I am in a relationship, I will still masturbate sometimes, but not nearly as much as when I'm not in a relationship
Males: 61.6% Females: 48.5%
* When I am in a relationship I will masturbate nearly as much or even more than when I'm not in a relationship
Males: 31.9% Females: 42.3% (average age overall: 23.7)
7. Which of the following would best describe your feelings if you were in a relationship and you came home and found your partner masturbating alone?
* Betrayed and angry
Males: 1.0% Females: 1.5%
* Embarrassed
Males: 4.5% Females: 11.4%
* Happy that my partner is pleasing him/herself
Males: 21.3% Females: 15.2%
* Turned on
Males: 73.1% Females: 72.0%
8. Have you masturbated together (at least one of you to orgasm) with a relationship partner?
* No – I haven't been in a relationship
Males: 37.9% Females: 24.8%
* No – I've been in a relationship, but we never masturbated together, at least not to orgasm
Males: 24.8% Females: 20.3%
* No – I masturbated to orgasm in front of my partner, but not vice-versa
Males: 2.1% Females: 0.0%
* No – my partner masturbated to orgasm in front of me, but not vice-versa
Males: 0.4% Females: 1.5%
* Yes, but we only masturbated ourselves and not each other
Males: 2.4% Females: 4.5%
* Yes, but we only masturbated each other, not ourselves
Males: 7.3% Females: 14.3%
* Yes, we masturbated both ourselves and each other to orgasm
Males: 25.1% Females: 34.6%
9. With whom have you discussed masturbation (in some depth – more than just a sentence or two)?
* Nobody
Males: 21.8% Females: 27.8%
* My same-sex platonic friends
Males: 29.6% (average age: 20.7) Females: 11.2%
* My opposite-sex platonic friends
Males: 3.7% (average age: 22.3) Females: 7.5%
* Friends of both sexes
Males: 24.9% Females: 13.5%
* My parents or my own children, and perhaps also friends
Males: 1.0% Females: 1.5%
* Relationship partners, but few others
Males: 7.7% Females: 14.3%
* Relationship partners as well as friends
Males: 11.3% Females: 24.1%
10. How often do you masturbate to orgasm in the shower or bath?
* Rarely or never
Males: 42.2% (average age: 23.2) Females: 42.1%
* Sometimes
Males: 44.2% Females: 41.4%
* Most times I take a shower or bath
Males: 9.5% Females: 12.8%
* Nearly every time I take a shower or bath
Males: 4.1% (average age: 17.8) Females: 3.8%
11. In your estimation, how often do you masturbate to orgasm compared to other same-sex members of your family?
* Much more often
Males: 47.6% (average age: 20.5) Females: 51.9%
* Somewhat more often
Males: 24.8% Females: 18.6%
* About the same
Males: 22.2% Females: 20.2%
* Somewhat less often
Males: 2.9% Females: 2.3%
* Not nearly as often
Males: 2.5% (average age: 23.0) Females: 7.0%
12. In your estimation, how often do you masturbate to orgasm compared to other same-sex friends of yours?
* Much more often
Males: 9.5% (average freq: 10.66) Females: 21.4%
* Somewhat more often
Males: 26.0% Females: 35.1%
* About the same
Males: 56.4% Females: 31.3%
* Somewhat less often
Males: 6.5% Females: 6.9%
* Not nearly as often
Males: 1.6% (average freq: 3.62) Females: 5.3%
13. In your estimation, how often do you masturbate to orgasm compared to most people (in the general population) of the opposite sex?
* Much more often
Males: 29.7% Females: 3.1%
* Somewhat more often
Males: 39.5% Females: 17.7%
* About the same
Males: 25.0% Females: 36.9%
* Somewhat less often
Males: 4.5% Females: 23.1%
* Not nearly as often
Males: 1.3% Females: 19.2%
14. How many different techniques do you currently use when you masturbate?
* One and only one (for example, the "Fist" in JackinHow-To)
Males: 32.0% Females: 27.8%
* I alternate between 2 (for example, the "Fist" and the "Backhand")
Males: 35.6% Females: 31.6%
* Generally 3
Males: 20.4% Females: 24.8%
* 4 or 5
Males: 8.2% Females: 7.5%
* 6 or more that I use regularly
Males: 1.4% Females: 2.3%
* I try to use a different technique just about every time
Males: 2.4% Females: 6.0%
15. Which of the following best describes your vocalizing when you masturbate?
* I rarely or never make noise when I masturbate
Males: 46.7% Females: 20.3%
* I make some noise, mostly moaning and groaning, when I know nobody can hear me
Males: 35.6% Females: 45.9%
* I like to moan and also say words or names, when I know nobody can hear me
Males: 14.3% Females: 24.8%
* I don't mind making noise even when somebody can hear me
Males: 1.6% Females: 3.0%
* It turns me on to know that someone can hear me masturbating
Males: 1.8% Females: 6.0%
16. Which of the following best describes your sexual orientation, as you currently identify yourself?
* Entirely straight
Males: 42.2% Females: 51.9%
* Straight with a bisexual streak
Males: 35.2% Females: 33.8%
* Bisexual
Males: 8.0% Females: 9.0%
* Gay with a bisexual streak
Males: 6.6% Females: 2.3%
* Entirely gay
Males: 8.1% Females: 3.0%
17. Which of the following best describes your attitude toward masturbation between 2 opposite-sex relationship partners who haven't yet had intercourse with each other?
* Intercourse is the only way to go; no intercourse should mean no sex play between them
Males: 3.7% (average age: 21.1) Females: 3.8%
* Masturbation is a poor substitute, but if they aren't going to have intercourse, masturbating together is okay
Males: 8.2% Females: 6.1%
* Masturbation is a good alternative until they are ready to have intercourse
Males: 88.1% Females: 90.2%
18. Which of the following best describes your attitude toward masturbating with an opposite-sex platonic friend?
* I would never masturbate with an opposite-sex friend
Males: 31.8% Females: 39.1%
* I would masturbate with an opposite-sex friend, but only because I'd hope it would lead to other things
Males: 20.0% Females: 27.8%
* I would enjoy masturbating with an opposite-sex friend and would be satisfied, even if it didn't lead to other things
Males: 48.2% Females: 33.1%
19. Which of the following best describes any same-sex leanings you may have?
* I have no same-sex fantasies or desires at all
Males: 18.9% Females: 19.8%
* I've had some same-sex fantasies or desires, but I don't like them, try to suppress them, and/or would never act on them
Males: 12.3% Females: 13.0%
* I've had some same-sex fantasies or desires, and I don't really like having them, though I might act on them if the conditions were right
Males: 12.8% Females: 7.6%
* I've had some same-sex fantasies or desires, and they really don't bother me, though I probably would never act on them
Males: 15.4% Females: 21.4%
* I've had some same-sex fantasies or desires, they don't bother me, and I might act on them if the conditions were right
Males: 40.6% (percentage of these who consider themselves "entirely straight": 8.4%) Females: 38.2% (percentage of these who consider themselves "entirely straight": 8.0%)
20. What's your attitude toward masturbating in the presence of same-sex friends or siblings?
* I have no interest in it at all
Males: 24.7% Females: 54.1%
* I might do it under certain circumstances
Males: 33.0% Females: 25.6%
* I have no problem with it
Males: 14.7% Females: 6.0%
* It is or would be a turn-on
Males: 27.6% Females: 14.3%
21. What's your experience with masturbating in the presence of same-sex friends or siblings?
* I've never done it
Males: 51.6% Females: 76.7%
* I've done it once or twice, but we only masturbated ourselves
Males: 13.5% Females: 9.0%
* I've done it once or twice, including masturbating each other
Males: 6.8% Females: 3.8%
* I've done it more than twice, but we never masturbated each other
Males: 7.8% Females: 3.0%
* I've done it more than twice, including masturbating each other
Males: 20.2% Females: 7.5%
22. How much fantasizing (imagining real or unreal scenes or situations) do you do when you masturbate?
* I rarely fantasize – I just focus on the pleasure and/or think about nonsexual things
Males: 4.3% Females: 6.8%
* I sometimes fantasize, but usually I just focus on the pleasure and/or think about nonsexual things
Males: 24.1% Females: 29.3%
* I spend much of my masturbation time fantasizing, but sometimes I just focus on the pleasure and/or think about nonsexual things
Males: 30.6% Females: 27.8%
* I am always or nearly always fantasizing when I masturbate
Males: 41.0% Females: 36.1%
23. Which of the following best describes your all-time #1 masturbation-time fantasy?
* It's an actual event that happened to me
Males: 17.5% Females: 17.4%
* It's an event, involving actual people I know, that didn't happen but could have actually happened at a certain time in my life
Males: 41.0% Females: 36.4%
* It's an event, involving actual people I know, that didn't happen and probably never would have happened because I wouldn't want it to actually happen
Males: 18.2% Females: 18.2%
* It's an event involving me and an actual person whom I don't know (e.g., a celebrity)
Males: 8.4% Females: 10.6%
* It's an event involving an actual person whom I don't know (e.g., a celebrity) but not involving me
Males: 2.2% Females: 0.8%
* It's a hypothetical event involving imaginary people and perhaps also myself
Males: 11.4% Females: 15.2%
* It's a hypothetical event involving something other than people (fantastic creatures, animals, etc.)
Males: 1.2% Females: 1.5%
24. How much of a turn-on is it for you to watch or imagine 2 people of the opposite sex from you (e.g., 2 girls if you're a guy) engaged in sexual activity with each other?
* It's a huge turn-on
Males: 40.4% Females: 28.6%
* It turns me on somewhat
Males: 26.3% Females: 21.8%
* It turns me on just a little
Males: 12.5% Females: 17.3%
* It neither turns me on nor turns me off
Males: 11.7% Females: 15.0%
* It turns me off
Males: 8.9% Females: 17.3%
25. How often do you think you would masturbate at age 80, if you lived to be that old?
* Never
Males: 14.5% Females: 16.5%
* Very occasionally
Males: 27.0% Females: 30.8%
* Some, but not nearly as often as I do now
Males: 45.0% Females: 40.6%
* Nearly as often or as often as I do now
Males: 13.5% (average age: 29.5) Females: 12.0%