39% of Americans Have Faked an Orgasm

This is an exclusive study conducted by DatingAdvice.com, which surveyed respondents over the course of three weeks to reflect an accurate representation of the U.S. population.

The faking of sexual climax is certainly not uncommon, as frequently depicted in sitcoms and romantic comedies.

But just how prevalent is this practice in real life?

In a recent DatingAdvice.com study, nearly four in 10 Americans said they have faked an orgasm.

Regardless of marital status, age, ethnicity, income and region, women were twice as likely as men to do so.

Divorced women were the most likely at 63 percent, followed by married women at 59 percent and single women at 46 percent.

The same pattern holds true for men, as divorced men were the most likely at 30 percent, followed by married men at 24 percent and single men at 18 percent.

Gina Stewart, DatingAdvice.com online dating expert, said women are more likely to engage in this sort of behavior because it’s more difficult for men to fake this from a physiological standpoint.

“Women have less difficulty in that respect,” she said. “Obviously Meg Ryan’s character in the famous deli scene in ‘When Harry Met Sally’ makes an argument for women being able to deceive men in this capacity.”

This sort of deception also seems to exist among several other demographics.

Straight Americans were 25 percent more likely to fake sexual pleasure than their gay counterparts.

In terms of income, 47 percent of those earning between $50,000 and $74,999 a year answered in the affirmative versus just 33 percent of those earning less than $25,000 annually.

“Nearly four in 10 Americans

said they have faked an orgasm.”

The results show location makes a small difference in the responses, as two in five Americans living in the Northeast, Midwest and South have faked it compared to one in three Americans living in the West.

Among the least likely groups to embellish their sexual enjoyment was younger Americans and Hispanics.

Hispanic-Americans had a 38 percent lower likelihood of faking an orgasm than African-Americans.

One in four respondents aged 18 to 24 said they have pretended to reach orgasm, while one in two respondents aged 45 to 54 have.

Stewart said while this particular statistic makes sense, it doesn’t necessarily mean older Americans are more likely to commit faking an orgasm.

“It’s easy to assume the older group has had many more sexual experiences and therefore more opportunities where they potentially felt the need to fake an orgasm,” she said.

The study surveyed 1,080 respondents over the course of three weeks, balancing responses by age, gender, income, race, sexuality and other factors in order to accurately represent the U.S. population. The study has a margin of error of +/- 2.8%.

The Breakdown: Americans Who’ve Faked an Orgasm

By gender:

• Men: 22%
• Women: 56%

By sexuality:

• Straight: 40%
• Gay: 32%

By marital status:

• Single, Never Married: 30%
• Married: 43%
• Divorced: 48%

By age:

• 18 to 24: 25%
• 25 to 34: 45%
• 35 to 44: 46%
• 45 to 54: 48%
• 54 to 64: 32%
• 65 and older: 32%

By race:

• White: 40%
• African-American: 44%
• Hispanic: 32%
• Asian: 37%

By income:

• Under $25,000: 33%
• $25,000 to $49,999: 39%
• $50,000 to $74,999: 47%
• $75,000 to $99,999: 36%
• $100,000 to $124,999: 39%
• $125,000 or higher: 43%

By region:

• Northeast: 40%
• Midwest: 39%
• South: 40%
• West: 37%

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