How common is pegging among long-term heterosexual couples in recent studies (year)?
Executive summary
Recent reporting and small academic studies show pegging remains a niche but visible practice: several surveys and industry reports cite figures around 10% of heterosexual adults having tried anal practices related to pegging, and niche polls or retailer data show rapid increases in sales/searches for pegging content (examples: ~10.4% reported in a survey; sales/search spikes reported by clip retailers and sex-toy sellers) [1] [2] [3]. Academic work is sparse and mostly qualitative, so prevalence estimates rely on surveys with varying questions and commercial metrics rather than large, representative epidemiological studies [4] [5] [1].
1. What the numbers actually say — small surveys and market signals
Available sources point to roughly one-in-ten figures when studies ask about anal practices that can include pegging: an online survey of 880 sexually active Americans found about 10.4% of heterosexual adults reported trying anal practices relevant to pegging [1]. Commercial indicators show sharper upward trends — strap-on sales and pegging-related video searches rose dramatically in some datasets (Clips4Sale, Lovehoney, other retailers reported near-doubling or triple-digit increases year-over-year) — but those signals measure interest and purchasing, not relationship-level prevalence [2] [6] [3].
2. Why estimates vary — question wording and who’s asked
Scholars and outlets repeatedly warn that national sex surveys often don’t ask about “pegging” specifically; they ask about anal sex or anal pleasure in generic terms, so pegging-specific prevalence is conflated with other anal practices [1] [5]. Academic work on pegging is mostly qualitative (small N interviews, focus groups) rather than large probability samples, so reported rates rely on convenience samples or secondary market data rather than representative population studies [4] [5].
3. Academic studies: depth over breadth
Recent peer-reviewed and conference research focuses on experience, meaning, and relationship effects, not prevalence: qualitative papers describe enjoyment, novelty and relationship benefits among self-identified peggers but typically study small numbers (e.g., N≈15 qualitative participants or similar focus-group samples) and explicitly note the lack of large-scale academic prevalence work [4] [7]. Leisure- and sexuality-focused scholars are documenting experiences and cultural framing rather than claiming national rates [5] [8].
4. Market and media data: a rising signal — with caveats
Adult-platform and retailer metrics (searches, sales of strap-ons, spikes in pegging-tagged content) show rapid growth in interest since about 2021–2022; outlets cite Clips4Sale and industry reports naming pegging a “fetish of the year” and showing doubled search volume or large percentage jumps in sales [3] [9] [2]. Those figures document attention and consumption, not how many long-term heterosexual couples practice pegging regularly. Commercial growth can reflect novelty, publicity cycles, or a small but active consumer base [3] [2].
5. What’s missing — representative, relationship-focused prevalence data
Available sources repeatedly state that pegging-specific prevalence among long-term heterosexual couples is not well measured: mainstream sex surveys rarely ask the question in those terms, and academics note pegging “has not been examined by academic researchers” in representative samples [4] [10]. Therefore, claims that “1 in 3 couples” or similar higher rates appear in some blogs or niche sites are not backed by robust, cited population studies in the provided sources [11] [12]. Available sources do not mention a large, recent nationally representative study reporting pegging prevalence specifically among long-term heterosexual couples.
6. Two reasonable, competing interpretations
One interpretation: pegging is still niche but becoming more visible — 10%–ish lifetime exposure to anal practices in some samples plus surging market interest suggests growing curiosity and experimentation among heterosexual people [1] [2]. Counterpoint: rising sales/searches over-index the sexually curious and porn consumers, and qualitative scholarship shows engaged peggers represent a committed but small subset; without representative surveys focused on long-term couples, we can’t equate market buzz with widespread adoption in committed relationships [4] [3].
7. What journalists and researchers should watch next
Reliable prevalence would require representative surveys that ask explicitly about pegging (strap-on anal penetration of a male partner) and about relationship duration/context. Until then, the best evidence is a mix of small academic samples documenting experience and commercial metrics documenting interest — both useful but neither definitive about how common pegging is among long-term heterosexual couples [5] [1].
Limitations: sources used here are a mix of qualitative academic work, blogs and industry reporting; none offers a definitive, representative prevalence estimate for pegging among long-term heterosexual couples [4] [2].