A US probability survey of 2,021 adults collected data in late December 2014 and January 2015. It asked how recently people had done 32 named sexual behaviours. Lifetime responses included spanking or being spanked as part of sex at 31.9%, roleplaying with a partner at 23.7%, tying or being tied at 21.1%, sucking or licking a partner's feet or toes at 18.0%, and playful whipping at 15.0%. Each item combined giving and receiving, and none asked whether the respondent called it a kink.

The same US study's separate appeal question asked whether more than 50 behaviours were very appealing, somewhat appealing, not appealing, or not at all appealing. Combining the first two answers, 56.2% found dirty talk appealing, 43.9% playful biting, 37.4% roleplay, 34.9% blindfolding, 29.3% tying or being tied, and 28.4% spanking. Those are appeal ratings for the wording shown, not reports of fantasy, intention, practice frequency, or identity.

A Quebec fantasy study of 1,516 adults, published in 2015, asked a different question. Participants rated the intensity of 55 fantasies from 1, 'not at all', to 7, 'very strong', and the researchers counted scores from 3 upwards as endorsement. 'Being dominated sexually' was endorsed by 64.6% of women and 53.3% of men; 'being tied up by someone in order to obtain sexual pleasure' by 52.1% and 46.2%; and 'dominating someone sexually' by 46.7% and 59.6%. The sample was recruited through local advertising, media, mailing lists, social contacts, and the internet. Its authors state that it was not representative of the Quebec population.

A Belgian population study of 1,027 adults aged 18 to 65, published in 2017 asked about 54 BDSM-related activities and 14 fetishes. It reported that 46.8% had tried at least one listed activity, another 22% had fantasised about one without trying it, 26% described themselves as interested in BDSM, 12.5% regularly did at least one activity, and 7.6% identified as BDSM practitioners.

Power and role themes appear repeatedly. They cover directing or being directed, dominance, submission, service, control, and switching between positions. A person can enjoy one of those ideas without using a BDSM identity, and enjoying both dominant and submissive fantasies is not a contradiction.

Restraint and sensory change form another broad group. Tying, cuffs, blindfolds, pressure, restricted movement, and anticipation may overlap, but a broad survey item can hide those differences. Someone who likes the pressure of rope and someone who likes the role of surrender may both tick a bondage item for different reasons.

Spanking and other impact also recur, although prevalence changes when a survey names one act instead of asking about BDSM as a whole. Spanking can be about sensation, rhythm, sound, reaction, role, or a punishment story. Playful biting and rougher physical energy may sit nearby without meaning the same thing.

Roleplay, dirty talk, watching, being watched, and group scenarios place more weight on story, attention, or performance. Covert watching and discovery are fantasy motifs. In a real scene, the audience is invited.

Focused attractions can centre on feet, shoes, lingerie, leather, latex, scent, muscles, or another body feature or material. Surveys often measure one named act, such as foot or toe licking, rather than the wider attraction. That item cannot stand in for every form of foot interest, still less for fetishes as a whole.

The activity alone does not reveal the reward. A qualitative study of 227 masochistic or submissive practitioners' narratives drew on forum posts from 2009 to 2018 and an online survey. The researchers grouped reasons for participating under interpersonal power, physical pain, and changes in mental state. This was a selected practitioner sample, so its theme counts are not population estimates.

The qualitative study also treated spanking separately from receiving pain because some narratives centred on its erotic meaning more than painful sensation. The same distinction applies elsewhere. Restraint can supply pressure, immobility, anticipation, visual form, a power role, or a narrower field of attention. Being watched can be about admiration, exposure fantasy, performance, or making a partner's attention feel tangible.

In an online convenience sample of 935 BDSM participants, respondents answered 17 questions about leisure qualities. Most selected 'most of the time' or 'nearly always' for pleasure or enjoyment, relaxation or decreased stress, and self-expression or exploration. The survey describes how those participants experienced BDSM overall. It does not show why the wider population likes a particular activity.

Focused body and material interests can combine several senses with personal meaning. Leather may contribute smell, texture, sound, appearance, cultural associations, or an authority role. Feet may draw attention through shape, touch, scent, footwear, service, or power. A prevalence category cannot tell which part carries the appeal for an individual.

Treat the recurring groups as prompts, not a leaderboard. Ask which part of an item matters: the role, sensation, material, attention, story, or relationship. Then separate appeal in fantasy from wanting a real experience and from adopting a label.

Being common may make an interest easier to name or research. It does not make the interest a better fit for you. A less frequently reported interest may still be central to your imagination, while a widely reported fantasy may leave you cold or belong entirely in fiction.