More Russians enjoy watching television than having sex, according to a recent independent Levada Center survey.
Twelve percent of all polled Russians said “making love” gives them the greatest pleasure, placing the activity behind hunting, walking in the woods and thirteen other activities. Respondents were given the option of choosing multiple answers out of more than two dozen activities.
Watching television ranked at the top of the hedonistic hierarchy, at 34 percent, beating out earning money, caring for children and eating.
Russia’s 18-to-29 demographic, which prefers listening to music and spending time with loved ones the most, likes to have sex (24 percent) almost as much as watching television (25 percent).
Respondents in the low- and middle-income bracket far and away enjoy television more than doing other things, in contrast to higher earners, who say they enjoy traveling the most (34 percent). Those who earn the least also do not enjoy sex as much, with their 8 percent lagging behind 10 percent for average earners and 17 percent for those who earn the most.
The same trend is observed when broken down by education level. Almost half of those with a primary education told Levada that watching television gives them the most pleasure, followed by 38 percent of those with a middle school education, and 26 percent with a higher education.
At 13 percent, the higher-educated said sex was more pleasurable, in contrast to 10 percent for middle school-educated and 9 percent for poorly-educated Russians.
The poll was conducted among 1,600 respondents in 52 Russian regions between April 20 and April 24.
