Swingers in Germany: Sociodemography and Event Preferences Assessed from Harvested Web Data

This exploratory study investigated Germany's heterosexual swinger community within the consensual non-monogamy spectrum. It used anonymized, verified data harvested in September and October 2023 from Joyclub, the leading online platform in Germany focused on sexual exploration. The first part examined anonymized profiles from self-declared swingers, totaling 22,973 individuals, revealing a mature demographic, with median ages of 44 for women and 46 for men. Despite high regional variations, no clear correlations between swinger prevalence and regional socioeconomic factors were found. Subgroup analysis identified BDSM-affiliated swingers and those involved in open relationships or polyamory, with a higher concentration in urban areas. The second study assessed 14,008 attendees at 82 categorized swinger events, which showed a preference for sex-focused events across all age strata. Contrary to the male-centric perspective, the data revealed events strongly focused on women's preferences, including those targeting younger male partners. Events also combined sexual activities with social elements and drew participants from greater distances, indicating a strong commitment to the community lifestyle. A prominent presence of solo women was observed, contradicting earlier findings from other countries. Reduced pricing for women did not correlate with higher attendance, questioning the effectiveness of such strategies. The use of verified data and a large sample size provides robust insights into Germany's swinger community, emphasizing gender participation and regional variations. This study offers an empirical foundation for future research and highlights the importance of local contexts and terminology in studying sexual behavior.