Married couples who regularly attend church report having sex more frequently and experiencing greater sexual satisfaction than their less religious and secular counterparts, according to a new report from the Institute for Family Studies (IFS).
The findings form part of a study titled The Devout Difference: Religion, Marital Quality, and Sex Among Americans, which examines the relationship between religious commitment, marriage and sexual wellbeing among married Americans.
The findings challenge a longstanding cultural stereotype that religious couples are more sexually inhibited or dissatisfied than secular couples. Instead, the researchers found that active religious participation was associated with both greater sexual frequency and higher levels of reported sexual satisfaction.
Data from the US’ The General Social Survey cited by IFS shows that the proportion of married Americans aged 20 to 54 reporting sex at least once a week has declined over the past several decades. In the 1990s, about 64% of married Americans in that age group reported having sex at least weekly. That figure has fallen to about 54% overall.
The decline, however, has been considerably smaller among couples who regularly attend religious services. According to the IFS analysis, 62% of regular churchgoing married couples currently report having sex at least once a week, compared with 48% of couples who rarely or never attend religious services.
The report describes the broader decline in sexual frequency as a “sex recession,” noting that churchgoing couples appear to have been comparatively insulated from the trend. The researchers also found that the relationship persisted after accounting for factors including age, sex, race and education.
Churchgoers had 1.49 times higher odds of reporting weekly sex than married people who did not regularly attend religious services.
Sexual satisfaction also higher
The difference was not limited to how often couples reported having sex. The IFS survey found that 55% of churchgoing Catholics and 45% of churchgoing Protestants described their sex lives as “excellent” or “very good.”
That compared with 45% among nominal Catholics, 35% among nominal Protestants and 40% among respondents with no religious affiliation. After statistical controls, churchgoers had 1.42 times higher odds of reporting sexual satisfaction than non-churchgoing respondents.
The researchers said the association was evident among both husbands and wives, rather than being driven exclusively by one sex.
Separate figures cited in the report showed that churchgoing wives were more likely to report sexual satisfaction than secular wives, suggesting that the findings cannot simply be explained by husbands’ perceptions of their marriages.
Faith practice appears to matter more than religious identity
One of the study’s significant findings is that religious affiliation alone did not produce the same advantages as active participation. The researchers distinguished between couples who regularly attend church and those who identify as Catholic or Protestant but attend services infrequently.
The findings suggest that regular participation, shared religious practices and agreement around important marital values are more closely associated with positive marital outcomes than simply carrying a religious label. Prayer was also associated with sexual satisfaction, although the researchers did not find that daily prayer independently predicted more frequent sex.
Among Catholics and Protestants who prayed daily, the odds of reporting sexual satisfaction were 1.29 times higher than among those who did not pray daily. The researchers interpret these findings through the concept of “sacredness” in marriage and sexuality, the idea that couples who regard their marriage and sexual relationship as meaningful aspects of their faith may approach intimacy with stronger commitment and a greater sense of shared purpose.
Marriage permanence may be part of the explanation
The IFS analysis also identified attitudes toward the permanence of marriage as an important factor.
Couples who viewed marriage as a permanent commitment were more likely to report both frequent sex and sexual satisfaction. After accounting for demographic factors, spouses who embraced marital permanence had 1.31 times higher odds of reporting weekly sex and 1.53 times higher odds of reporting sexual satisfaction.
The researchers found that belief in marital permanence was actually a stronger predictor of sexual satisfaction than either church attendance or prayer.
What it could mean for Christian marriages in Nigeria
Speaking to Religion Journalism Foundation on the IFS findings, Felicity Bessong, a certified relationship coach and marriage mentor and founder of Love Life Academy, said practising the Christian faith could contribute to marital and sexual satisfaction when couples share compatible spiritual beliefs and consistently demonstrate values such as love, patience, forgiveness, faithfulness and selflessness.
However, she cautioned that sharing the same religious beliefs and attending church regularly did not automatically guarantee emotional or sexual satisfaction. According to Bessong, couples also need practical relationship skills and marriage education to build healthy relationships. She recommended investing in books, courses and counselling to develop a better understanding of themselves, their partners and the demands of marriage.
She explained that shared faith could give couples common values, a sense of purpose and a framework for navigating challenges.
“Praying together, worshipping together and participating in a supportive church community could strengthen emotional connections and provide opportunities for marriage education and mentorship,” she said.
Bessong also distinguished between identifying as a Christian and actively practising the faith, noting that religious identity alone did not reveal how a person behaved within marriage. She said prayer, shared values, spiritual commitment and church participation could be valuable, but couples must also communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, take responsibility and respect each other’s needs. “Prayer should complement practical action, not replace it,” she said.
Addressing the Nigerian context, Bessong said economic pressures, demanding work schedules, unequal domestic responsibilities, extended-family obligations and limited privacy could affect sexual intimacy among married couples.
Cultural expectations that discourage open conversations about sex could also prevent couples from discussing their needs or seeking professional help for marital difficulties.
She noted that these realities made it important to examine the relationship between faith and sexual satisfaction within Nigeria’s social and economic context rather than assume that findings from the United States would produce identical results locally.
Bessong identified unresolved conflicts, poor communication, emotional disconnection, differences in sexual desire, unrealistic expectations and exhaustion from work or family responsibilities as factors that could affect intimacy among married Nigerian Christians. Inadequate sexual education, shame about discussing sex, infidelity and loss of trust could also contribute to difficulties.
She added that medical conditions, hormonal changes, painful intercourse, anxiety and depression could affect sexual well-being, stressing that individual circumstances must be considered when addressing sexual problems.
The relationship coach also raised concerns about the gap between teaching young Christians to abstain from premarital sex and preparing them for sexual intimacy within marriage. She said teaching abstinence was not the problem, but inadequate preparation for marital intimacy could leave some couples feeling ashamed to discuss sex, uncertain about their needs or unprepared to navigate differences in sexual desire and expectations.
According to her, churches should complement teachings on sexual integrity with practical education on communication, mutual care, consent, sexual health and realistic expectations.
Another Nigerian marriage counsellor, Pastor (Dr) Legson Paninga, a certified marriage counsellor and relationship coach with ‘Towards A Better Home’, who spoke to Religion Journalism Foundation similarly cautioned against assuming that identifying as a Christian automatically leads to marital happiness or sexual satisfaction.
Paninga said the practical application of Christian teachings, particularly love, mutual consideration, forgiveness and respect, was more important than religious identity alone. He identified poor communication, unresolved conflict, financial hardship, physical exhaustion, work-related stress and inadequate sexual knowledge as common factors that could affect sexual intimacy among married Nigerian Christians.
According to him, some couples struggle to discuss their sexual needs because of cultural and religious backgrounds that have made such conversations uncomfortable. Paninga also highlighted what he described as a gap in Christian marriage preparation, arguing that churches often place considerable emphasis on abstinence before marriage without providing sufficient education about sexual intimacy within marriage.
“As a pastor, I have officiated weddings for couples who married as virgins but had very little understanding of sexual intimacy,” he said, explaining that some couples struggled to consummate their marriages for days or weeks, while others took two or three months.
He urged churches to provide more practical, biblically grounded teaching on marital intimacy, including communication, mutual pleasure and consideration for each spouse’s needs.
Paninga added that couples experiencing sexual difficulties should address underlying emotional and relationship problems, noting that unresolved resentment and conflict could affect intimacy. Where necessary, he advised them to seek help from qualified marriage counsellors or sexual health specialists.