The published surveys agree on one thing: using sex toys is common, both alone and with a partner, and in some samples most respondents do so.
The main limitation
These are one-off surveys: they capture what people say about an intimate subject and cannot tell us what causes what.
In practice
If you wonder whether you are the only person who uses sex toys, the data say otherwise: it is a common practice across many ages and orientations.
What kind of studies there are
Descriptive or expert opinion 6
We classify each study by its design. A synthesis of many studies or a randomised trial supports firmer conclusions than a survey or an expert opinion. The design does not tell you whether a result is good or bad.
What the studies say overall
The published surveys agree on one thing: using sex toys is common, both alone and with a partner, and in some samples most respondents do so.
The percentages vary widely depending on who is asked: almost all the studies focus on adults in one country or on a specific group, such as gay and bisexual men, women over 60, female university students or women who have sex with women.
Among women, one pattern recurs: toys are used considerably more during masturbation than in partnered sex. In the German sample, however, use with a partner and use alone were almost level.
There are also differences by age and sexual orientation: in a Canadian study, women, younger adults and gay or bi/pansexual people were more likely to report using them.
Where they disagree
The figures differ from one study to the next because they ask different questions ("ever in a lifetime", "in the past year", "almost always") and different populations. That is why it makes no sense to average them or to say how many people use them "in general".
Limits of the evidence
These are one-off surveys: they capture what people say about an intimate subject and cannot tell us what causes what. Online samples tend to attract people who are more open to the subject, and several studies focus on a single country or group, so they cannot be generalised to everyone.
None of these studies measures whether using toys is good or bad for health.
The studies, one by one
We have gathered 6 verified studies. Each summary is our own; the quotation in inverted commas is taken word for word from the original abstract, in English.
What they found: Participants used sex toys far more during masturbation than in partnered sex: 46.4% used them almost always or always when masturbating, compared with 5.1% in partnered sex. (Hille et al., 2026)
Population Women aged 60 or over living in the United StatesJournalMenopause
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“Participants reported much greater use of sex toys during masturbation than during sex with a partner. Of the women who reported masturbating at least once in the last year, 46.4% used toys almost always or always during masturbation, compared with 5.1% who used sex toys almost always or always during partnered sex.” Hille et al., 2026
What they found: Women, younger adults, people who identified as virgins and gay or bi/pansexual people were more likely to report using sex toys. (Williams et al., 2025)
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“Women, younger adults, self-identified virgins, homosexual or bi/pansexual individuals, and those with a history of childhood sexual victimization were more likely to report sex toy use.” Williams et al., 2025
What they found: More than 50% of the women surveyed used sex toys during masturbation and 30% brought them into activity with a partner. (Stokłosa et al., 2026)
What they found: 78.5% of the gay and bisexual men surveyed had used at least one type of sex toy. (Rosenberger et al., 2012)
Population Gay and bisexual men in the United StatesJournalArch Sex Behav
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“A majority (78.5%) of gay and bisexually identified men reported having used at least one type of sex toy, including dildos (62.1%), non-vibrating cock rings (51.9%), vibrators (49.6%), butt plugs (34.0%), masturbation sleeves (27.9%), and anal beads or balls (19.3%).” Rosenberger et al., 2012
What they found: 13.4% (30/224) of participants used sex toys with their female partners in the past year; of these, 43.3% (13/30) always used them with a condom and 36.7% (11/30) shared sex toys. (Wang et al., 2012)
Population Women who have sex with women in Beijing, ChinaJournalPLoS One
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“In the past year, 13.4% (30/224) reported using sex toys with their female partners; of these, 43.3% (13/30) reported consistent condom use with the sex toys and 36.7% (11/30) had shared sex toys.” Wang et al., 2012
