In what's being called the largest Internet survey of its kind, condom producer Durex has calculated how often people are having sex in 22 countries around the world. And guess what, France was number 1 by a long shot. People here claim they have sex 167 times a year.
That the survey would come from Durex, and that France would top the list is of no surprise. In a country where little old ladies hand out free condoms in corner cafés, and condom vending machines are installed in restaurants, bars, and subway stations, the manufacturer of this popular brand of preservatifs is right on target with an ambitious advertising campaign. Who in France hasn't seen the MTV commercial starring the cartoon guitar player gyrating his hips to the tune of an announcer exclaiming "Du sexe! Du sexe! Durex!" (Sex! Sex! Durex!)? The commercial does not actually mention protection, having chosen instead to highlight other benefits of the prophylactic- something to do with duration, the root word of which Durex may have taken its name. The French verb, durer, means, "to last".
The French have always been proud of their reputation as the most amorous of people, despite the cold shoulder the common tourist may receive while shopping or ordering in a restaurant. But I've heard that they tend to exaggerate when speaking about sex, perhaps in an attempt to live up to an inflated reputation. Yes, there is a lot of talk, and this topic in particular is limited neither in scope nor frequency. Such conversations are often coupled with much psychological analysis and very little giggling or snickering.
The number 2 country in the Durex survey is the Netherlands, where people say they have sex 158 times a year, followed by Denmark at 152 and Canada at 150. The average among all the countries is 139, with the USA falling just short at 138.
While people are still underprotecting themselves from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies, according to the Durex Global Sex Survey, the French are the least likely to have had unprotected sex. Just 22 percent said they have not used protection, compared to 61 percent in Sweden who did not take precautions. Indeed, the importance of safe sex in France is far from overestimated. The same survey shows that 91 percent of the French believe AIDS/HIV Infection is a serious problem in their country. The only two countries where a greater number of people voiced this concern were South Africa (99 percent) and Thailand (97 percent).
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