Sexual health support will need to be increased by the government as the UK comes out of lockdown, researchers say, with some experts predicting a second 'roaring 20s' and a period of 'sexual licentiousness' once restrictions ease.
A new study from Bournemouth University and the University of Roehampton suggests that after lockdown, the sex lives of those who have felt restricted are likely to change and the government needs to respond accordingly.
Writing in The Conversation, researchers Liam Wignall and Mark McCormack warn: "Most sexual health and reproductive services in the UK have been severely limited or closed. There is evidence that access to condoms and contraception was disrupted for young adults during social lockdown.
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"Some sexual health charities have been offering home testing kits of sexually transmitted infection screenings, but there will be people who do not or cannot use these services."
They added: "As the UK follows the road map out of lockdown, it is important to consider how those whose sex lives have been restricted will respond to the extra freedom. It has been suggested that we could see a new 'roaring 20s' as we return to a new sense of normality.
"Government policy ignored sex during lockdown. It needs to actively support sexual health and wellbeing as we return to some kind of normality."
The study surveyed 565 people aged between 18-32 in the UK, with 25 percent saying they hadn't had sex with a partner at all during lockdown.
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The survey was conducted at the end of the peak lockdown restrictions in May 2020, with the leaders of the study suggesting lockdown disproportionately affected the sex lives of young people.
The fact that sex between people who didn't live together was effectively criminalised meant young adults who were still exploring their sexuality and developing romantic feelings were stopped in their tracks.
The study, which was published in the Journal of Sex Research, also found the behaviour of those still engaging in sexual activities - both alone and with a partner - had changed during lockdown.
Wignall and McCormack write: "For those participants who continued to engage in sexual activities, we also asked whether the frequency increased or decreased during the period. There were both increases and decreases.
"Regarding increases, just over a quarter (26 percent) of people masturbated more often on their own, 20 percent reported having more intercourse with their partner, and 20 percent reported watching more pornography on their own.
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"Yet the same three sexual activities also decreased in frequency for some participants, with a third of people having less sex with their partner, a quarter masturbating alone less, and around a fifth (22 percent) watching less pornography alone."
The research also looked into sexual desire. In the sample, it was reported that women had lower sexual desire than men, with women showing a significant decrease during lockdown compared with before lockdown.
However, women who enjoy casual sex said they felt lockdown had a greater impact on their wellbeing.
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