Sorry Millennials! Your Parents Probably Had More Sex Than You!

Okay, we know no one wants to imagine there parents having sex, but humour us for a moment. A new study of 33,000 people published in Archives of Sexual Behavior and shared online by TIME, shines a bright light on the differences between baby boomer sex and millennial sex. Those born in the 50's and 60's had, in adulthood, amassed an average of 11 sexual partners while those born in the 70's had 10. 80's and 90's babies, now full blow adults are only averaging 8 partners. What makes this decline in partners strange is that it comes at a time of increased acceptance of premarital sex. In 2004, 44% of respondents analyzed in this study reported that they saw nothing wrong with premarital sex; by 2014, that figure had increased to 58%. Tolerance of homosexuality has also increased. In 1973, 11% of respondents had no problem with homosexuality, by 2012, it was 44%. You would think these increases in acceptance would spell more partners. Time notes this decrease in premarital partners may be due to an increased understanding of STIs and their associated risks. That makes sense as a possible contributing cause, since HIV/AIDS was (and still is) a very real health concern in the 80's and early 90's. Maybe acceptance of premarital sex has meant people are less likely to use it as an act of rebellion. Maybe it is something else. What do you think has contributed to millennials having fewer partners on average than those who came before?