In times of yore when salaries were uncertain and low people had far more sex than they have now. Things they did not have back then which may be part of the reason why they went at it:
- an abundance of electric lighting
- media to distract them and personal portable screens with access to such. Personal is important since even a television screen watched by 2 people offers more of a social experience than those same 2 people each bent over their personal screens.
- contraceptives
- state pensions
- education, for good and for bad
- a relentless drive to consume, consume and consume for the sake of it
- life success measured by the number of ephemeral gadgets you collect - your great-grandfather's golden pocket watch was a status symbol for life while your Apple watch is outdated in one or two years.
To be sure, there were some things which people had back then which they do not have now for the most:
- religion - many people met their partner while going to church
- marriage was far more common
- contact with their neighbourhood - people knew their street/hamlet/village, they met them on the street, in shops, pubs, church, at work, etc.
- public social gatherings of sufficiently large size to meet that girl from the next town and of sufficiently small size to meet her at the next event.
It's tempting to agree with you, but the truth is we just don't know what the impact of these changes have been on sexual activity. Likely it's a combination and includes and excludes some surprises.
- an abundance of electric lighting
- media to distract them and personal portable screens with access to such. Personal is important since even a television screen watched by 2 people offers more of a social experience than those same 2 people each bent over their personal screens.
- contraceptives
- state pensions
- education, for good and for bad
- a relentless drive to consume, consume and consume for the sake of it
- life success measured by the number of ephemeral gadgets you collect - your great-grandfather's golden pocket watch was a status symbol for life while your Apple watch is outdated in one or two years.
To be sure, there were some things which people had back then which they do not have now for the most:
- religion - many people met their partner while going to church
- marriage was far more common
- contact with their neighbourhood - people knew their street/hamlet/village, they met them on the street, in shops, pubs, church, at work, etc.
- public social gatherings of sufficiently large size to meet that girl from the next town and of sufficiently small size to meet her at the next event.