Recession Not Affecting Sex Lives, Survey Says

YONKERS, N.Y. – A new poll suggests that the recession is not putting a damper on most Americans' sex lives.

Consumer Reports magazine says that of those who are sexually active and were willing to answer questions about their sex lives, 79 percent said their personal financial situation has not affected their frequency of sex. Five percent are even having sex more often.

However, 81 percent said they had avoided sex at least once in the past year, usually because of exhaustion, illness or just not being in the mood.

Perhaps to avoid that, 45 percent of the sexually active said they had made plans with their partner in advance at least once.

The telephone poll of 1,000 adults was taken last month. Consumer Reports said the margin of error was 3 percentage points.

However, last month, sex expert Dr. Ian Kerner told FOXNews.com he firmly believed one of the side-effects of the recession was a lack of libido.

"In general, people are having less sex," said Kerner, a New York City-based sex therapist and author of "Love in the Time of Colic: The New Parent's Guide to Getting It On Again."

"Fifty million people are stuck in a sex rut," Kerner added. "The economy inhibits a person's libido because they feel stressed and depressed."

Click here for "9 Ways to Reclaim Your Sex Life in '09"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.