How many people broke quarantine to have sex? Our new survey has the answers

When most of the country was under stay-at-home orders in April, we noticed a head-tilting spike in sales for our at-home STD tests, leading us to believe that perhaps not everyone in America was following the CDC’s recommendation to remain six feet apart.

This jump in sales had us wondering—how many people were risking it all for sex during quarantine? Thanks to our latest study, we finally have some answers.

Who was surveyed?

• A representative sample of more than 500 U.S. adults ages 20-31 living in major American cities were surveyed regarding their sexual activities during April 2-30, when most of the country was under stay-at-home orders.
• Respondents living in cities not subject to stay-at-home orders in April or who were living with someone they were in a relationship with during April were screened out.

What are the key frisky-findings?

And it turns out roommate trysts weren’t the only sexual behaviors changed by the pandemic. 29% of young women reported giving up birth control during the pandemic. Some women who stopped taking birth control regularly were more likely to report hooking up with a roommate than those who continued taking birth control.

And when it came to sexual health, 3% of young Americans reported catching an STD during the pandemic, with another 16% saying they're not sure if they caught one or not.

More eye-opening findings: 30% of people who hooked up with a roommate in April still haven’t been tested for STIs (also known as STDs), even though 16% of people who hooked up with their roommate and DID get tested actually contracted an STI.

Everlywell continues to see young adults purchasing our Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Hepatitis C, HIV, and high-risk HPV at-home tests in record numbers during the pandemic. And many of them are new to at-home testing: 90% of these young adults had never taken an at-home lab test like ours before.

The only way to know if you have an STI is to get tested, so if you're one of the 30% who hasn't been tested yet or have it on your quarantine to-do list—don't wait. We hope everyone continues to take ownership of their sexual health for themselves and their partners—especially those breaking the rules to get frisky.