Married couples who regularly attend church report more frequent sex and greater sexual satisfaction than spouses who attend less often or not at all, according to a new report from the Institute for Family Studies in Charlottesville, Virginia. The findings point to a striking association between religious participation, intimacy and marital happiness.

Researchers examined several datasets, including the 2026 IFS Religion and Family Survey of 3,125 married adults ages 18 to 54. They also analyzed the nationally representative General Social Survey and a separate survey of 1,219 alumni of FOCUS, a Catholic campus ministry.

Regular churchgoers reported having sex more frequently than married adults who were less religious or had no religious affiliation. Catholics who regularly attended church reported some of the highest levels of sexual frequency, and the association remained after researchers accounted for demographic differences.

Among married adults ages 20 to 54, 62% of regular churchgoers said they had sex at least once a week. That compared with 48% of spouses who identified as nonreligious, according to the report.

The apparent advantage extended beyond frequency. Catholics and Protestants who regularly attended religious services were more likely to give positive ratings to their sex lives than people who attended less frequently or reported no religious affiliation.

Among churchgoers, 55% of Catholics and 45% of Protestants rated their sex lives as “excellent” or “very good.” The corresponding figures were 45% among nominal Catholics, 35% among nominal Protestants and 40% among religiously unaffiliated respondents.

Daily prayer was associated with greater sexual satisfaction among married Catholics and Protestants, although it was not linked to more frequent sex. The findings therefore distinguished between the reported quality of sexual intimacy and how often married couples had sex.

Beliefs about marriage were also connected with the results. Respondents who regarded marriage as a permanent commitment were more likely to report both frequent and satisfying sex, while that belief and shared values were strongly associated with overall marital quality.

The authors cautioned that the analysis was observational and could not establish that religious practice directly caused better sexual or marital outcomes. The outcomes were also reported by respondents themselves, and unmeasured differences between religious and nonreligious participants could have affected the results.

Differences involving age and length of marriage could also complicate comparisons with the broader population. The study was funded by FOCUS, formally known as the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

Jessica Steinman, a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex addiction therapist in Los Angeles, discussed the findings with Fox News Digital. She is also the chief clinical officer for No Matter What Recovery in Los Angeles, Chicago and Austin.

“When we think of people who are really involved in religion … we might think they're not having a lot of sex or that they're having very constricted views on their sex lives,” Steinman said. “And this article and research show that's changing.”

Steinman suggested that people participating in a shared spiritual or religious life may feel more connected as partners. She said rituals, traditions and shared practices could help strengthen that connection, while greater openness and vulnerability could contribute to a more active sex life.

“If they're showing up and looking at things outside themselves — things that are spiritual, things that are religious, things that are having them look inward, things that are having them look into larger morals and values within their marriages and partnerships — I think they're going to possibly have happier marriages and partnerships,” she said.

“Certain religious settings are really focused on rituals and traditions,” Steinman said. “And if you're looking at partnership and marriage … engaging in sexual connection and sexual intimacy can really become a ritual itself.”

The report also referenced an ongoing “sex recession,” a period in which people are engaging in sexual intimacy less often than they once did. Regardless of religious affiliation, Steinman encouraged couples to create opportunities for meaningful connection.

“Get off the phones, get off of the internet, turn the TV off and start really connecting with your partner,” she advised. Steinman said couples should move beyond simply asking, “How was your day?” by building emotional openness and discussing how they want to connect sexually.