Pressure takes toll on sex lives: survey

 　　BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhuanet) – The pressure of modern society is taking a toll¹ on sexual satisfaction, experts say following the release of an online survey.

　　About 34 percent of people polled in the survey said that they are unsatisfied with their sex lives, with 6.5 percent "very unsatisfied".

　　Another 32 percent condemned² their sex lives as "just so-so".

　　The survey interviewed more than 3,000 people, aged³ between 15 and 55, with men accounting⁴ for 74 percent of the interviewees.

　　It was conducted by the China Population Communication Center and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences from May 1 to June 20. The survey did not give a margin⁵ of error.

　　Only 23 percent of respondents said that they are "satisfied" with their sex lives, with 3.6 percent "very satisfied", according to the survey.

　　But women seem to have a higher rate of satisfaction than men, with only 26 percent saying they are unsatisfied. The rate for men is 42 percent.

　　The rate of sexual satisfaction among Chinese people is below the global average of 44 percent, according to an earlier survey by Durex. The 2007 Durex Global Sexual Wellbeing Survey questioned more than 26,000 people in 26 countries about all aspects of their sex lives - including satisfaction levels.

　　Jiang Hui, president-elect of the Chinese Society of Andrology, attributed the lower rate of sexual satisfaction among Chinese people to rapid economic growth, which inevitably⁶ increases work and social pressure.

　　Health problems associated with a modern lifestyle, such as diabetes⁷ and hypertension, are also to blame, he said.

　　Jiang said his department of andrology used to receive about 10 patients a day 10 years ago. Now the figure has risen to more than 250.

　　Rising awareness⁸ of sex and a more open attitude toward the once-taboo topic among the public also contributed to higher sexual expectations, he said.

　　The survey also revealed that about 30 percent of respondents in the 35-55 age group had sex less than once a week.

　　"That rate is quite low, compared with the global average of 103 times a year, or 1.98 times a week," said Yang Xiong, who heads the social survey center at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

　　Only 16.9 percent of respondents said that they had sex more than 10 times a month. Most respondents had sex three to nine times every month.

　　About 8 percent of respondents said that they basically had no sex at all or it was too infrequent to be classified.

　　The survey seemed to find that the more you made, the less you had. Those who earned at least 9,000 yuan ($1,400) a month had less sex than those who earned less, according to the survey.

　　Among those making more than 9,000 yuan per month, over 70 percent said they had sex less than twice a month, compared with 16.5 percent for those with a monthly salary of less than 6,000 yuan.

　　The survey also found that when people run into problems with their sex lives, 83 percent turn to the Internet, rather than professionals, for help. Less than 6 percent said they would see doctors to solve sex-related problems.

　　Nearly 70 percent of those polled said they suffered from sexual health problems, such as erectile dysfunction (ED).

　　"Many patients, especially men, are reluctant to see a doctor, which they think harms their manhood," Jiang said.

　　According to a study conducted by the Chinese Society of Andrology, at least 40 percent of men aged 40 and above suffered from erectile dysfunction, roughly the global average.

　　But Yang, from the Shanghai academy, noted⁹ that surveys conducted online tend to produce far different results than those conducted face-to-face.

　　He expressed reservations about the survey's accuracy and said the public should only use the results for reference.

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

3 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

4 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

5 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

6 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

7 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

8 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。