This is the sex bit of this C19 Sky News/You Gov report. Pretty basic underlying assumptions about sex (as per). Thread.

That sex is presented in this neutral value free way implies that sex has an inherent value. The assumption that sex is inherently something we 'should' be interested in acquiring. Sex is something we have not just an activity we may or may not want to take part in.

Check out me and @GoingMedieval chatting about the objectification of sex here. https://soundcloud.com/megjohnjustin/justin-chats-with-eleanor-janega-about-the-objectification-of-sex

Says nothing at all about the nature of the sex people may or may not be having. Are people enjoying *not* having sex? Are people having less sex but enjoying it more? Sex seen as a currency of wellbeing and relationship happiness. Which I think is not a helpful indicator.

Asexual folk have romantic relationships. Many allosexual folk in romantic long term relationships don't put sex in their top ten most important things about their relationship. (See the Enduring Love project by Open University)

Additionally there's just been no curiosity about how the government have basically said to anyone who doesn't live with their sex partners that they can't have (partnered) sex. That's what the under 50s figure reveals.

And as I've ranted about before, this means that vast majority of young people in sexual relationships are not having in person partnered sex. Gov have said nothing about this and not provided any resource or advice (I have, see @BishSexEd)

Also underlying assumption of sex here is that solo sex is not sex. This of course stems from the idea that the only kind of okay (or logical, or moral, or least sinful) form of sex is reproductive. Sex just seen as this one thing which people either have or not have.

So the questions about sex reveal very little really, apart from the fact that it's hard to have in person partnered sex if you can't be in the same house. Other than that they are just sexing up a survey to get people to report it.

Thus we will get uncritical reproductions of the 'common sense' of what sex is, what it signifies, and why we do it. Which in turn perpetuates the narratives that many people really struggle with and thus the cycle continues.

The imperative to have sex. That sex equals love and love equals sex. That sex equals wellbeing and wellbeing equals sex. And that only some things count as sex. Solo sex, or sexting, or porn, or erotic fantasy are further stigmatised. These are what people struggle with.

If you want to be less basic when it comes to sex I suggest that you follow my work at @BishSexEd and also my joint with with MJ @megjohnjustin where we do weekly podcasts and blogs.