Brits turning to sex for cheap thrills

LONDON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- With the economy drooping, Britons may be tightening their belts by turning to sex for cheap entertainment, a survey purports.

A YouGov survey of 2,000 adults revealed sexual intercourse was the most popular free activity, more so even than window shopping or gossiping, the BBC reported Monday. Among Scots, 43 percent said they favored sex over other activities and in southern England sex was touted by 35 percent as their top choice.

Only about 10 percent of those surveyed said window shopping was their preferred activity and 6 percent said checking out museums was the cheapest way to pass time, the British network said.

Men generally were more likely than women to list sex as their favorite activity, the BBC said. Women preferred gossiping, according to the survey.

The survey was published by the Terrence Higgins Trust, an AIDS charity that also noticed recent figures show an increase in condom sales.