Premarital sexuality: a five-year follow-up study of attitudes and behavior by dating stage

This paper presents the results of a survey on premarital sex conducted in 1988. The study focused on what respondents considered proper sexual behavior, what they reported they did, and what they thought others were doing at five stages of dating. Respondents were asked about cohabitation, the effect of AIDS on their premarital attitudes and behavior, and their views regarding the morality of premarital sex. When compared to the results of a similar study conducted in 1983, the data provided some evidence of change in premarital sexual attitudes and behavior. Female respondents in the 1988 sample showed lower levels of sexual intercourse at all five dating stages than did their counterparts in the 1983 study. However, males in the 1988 sample reported higher levels of sexual intercourse for the first four stages of dating than did males in the 1983 survey. In general, both males and females in the 1988 sample reported changing their attitudes and behavior regarding premarital sex in the direction of greater conservatism since hearing about AIDS. Attitudinal change was more widespread than actual behavioral change.