Having lived through the swinging sixties, Britain has finally emerged as a nation much more chaste than many might have suspected, a survey claimed.
The survey took into account people's attitude towards sex and relationships and revealed that Britain is largely monogamous if not a "sexless" society.
According to the ONS survey, quoted in The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, one in six males under 70 had no sexual partners in the past year, while 73 per cent had only one partner and 12 per cent had more than one.
However, seven per cent women in the same category had more than one partner, it said.
Based on data collected from the Office for National Statistics, the survey showed that one in eight women between the age groups of 16 and 50 had no sex in the past one year while the vast majority had only one partner.
"We are constantly being presented with inaccurate data that everyone is 'at it like rabbits' which makes people feel worried," London University College psychologist Dr Petra Boynton said.
Terming sex as an 'over-hyped commodity' in British culture, Dr Petra said, "the media covers sex a lot more in terms of music, so people think they should be having it more.
{{/usCountry}}Terming sex as an 'over-hyped commodity' in British culture, Dr Petra said, "the media covers sex a lot more in terms of music, so people think they should be having it more.
{{/usCountry}}"Also, stress and lifestyle does get in the way of sex and it is seen as a problem than a natural response."
Meanwhile, Nortfolk and Norwich Hospital consultant gynaecologist Dr Edward Morris finds Britain is behind the rest of Europe in terms of frequency in sexual activity.
"Britons tend to survive more on companionship in relationships rather than on a very active sex life," he said.