No matter how plentiful it is, chances are you think your sex life is good.

And it’s even quite possible you think it’s great.

Adam and Eve, a North Carolina-based company that sells adult sexual items, recently released a survey in which 29 percent of participants rated their sexual experiences as “great.”

“It is significant that so many people are finding pleasure in their sex lives,” said Katy Zvolerin, a spokeswoman for Adam and Eve. “It’s healthy for a relationship, but it’s also a great way to relieve the stress of day-to-day living.”

Of the 1,000 people surveyed between Nov. 10 and Nov. 21, about 40 percent rated their sex life as “good.” The random-digit telephone survey interviewed adults between ages 18 and 65.

Not everyone says their sex life is thrilling, though.

About 12 percent of those surveyed ranked their sex lives as “poor” or “terrible,” while 13 percent said they have “fair” sexual relationships.

The survey found people between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely to rate their sex lives as “great.”

Zvolerin said the results from the younger generation were actually a bit surprising.

“There is a preconceived idea that sex gets better and better as you get older,” she said. “We thought this would be reflected in our results.”

Only 19 percent of people older than 50 said they have “great” sex, and married couples were also less likely to give their sex life top honors.

“Sex is something we are finding you traditionally have to work at,” Zvolerin said.

“We were surprised that more young people were saying they have great sex lives.”

Biochemistry sophomore Kristin Martin said she is one of those young people who would rate her experience in the “great” column.

She said she thinks the younger a person is, the bigger a role their sex life will play.

“Personally I think it is important, but it shouldn’t be everything a relationship is based on,” Martin said. “If I wasn’t happy I would work to make things better before I decided to leave the relationship.”

Dennis Martell, an Olin Health Center educator, said Martin’s philosophy is similar to most students.

He said many people want to know how to increase their pleasure in a sexual relationship that they might not be completely satisfied with.

“If I went into a classroom and asked if the students wanted to hear about HIV, STDs, contraception or methods to increase pleasure, they would pick pleasure 90 percent of the time,” Martell said.

Martell coordinates the Center for Sexual Health Promotion, which sponsors programs that supply the MSU community with information on sexual issues. He said the center offers programs that pertain to everything from abstinence to pregnancy.

Emily Paxton, an international relations senior and an Olin Health Advocate, helps put on educational health programs. One event is the Sex in the Dark program, where health advocates turn off the lights and participants are free to ask questions they might not normally want to ask in front of a group.

Paxton said based on her experience, how college students rate their sex lives is very important. She agreed pleasure is usually a common concern.

“People enjoy their current situation and usually want to know how to enjoy it more,” Paxton said. “But I have never heard someone say they hate sex.”

Amy E. Stanton can be reached at stanto32@msu.edu.