From the modesty debate to the mainstreaming of
“twerking,” the American public has a complex relationship with sex.
Ever since the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the liberalization of
social and moral attitudes toward sex has met with a conservative
backlash troubled by the impact of an increasingly sexualized culture.
So what do Americans think about sex? What is its purpose, and where
should we have it? And what do people think about traditional sexual
ethics? Are they outdated? In a recent study, Barna Group asked about
these and other questions related to sex—and discovered there is no
broadly shared consensus among American adults.
Half of U.S. adults (50%) agree strongly that “choosing not to have
sex outside of marriage is healthy.” But generational differences are
significant. Six in 10 Elders (59%) agree strongly with this statement,
compared to 53 percent of Boomers, 49 percent of Gen-Xers and 43 percent
of Millennials.
Practicing Christians (72%) are almost twice as likely as adults of
no faith (38%) to say that choosing not to have sex outside marriage is a
healthy choice. Women (56%) are more likely than men (43%) to hold this
view. Compared to those who have never been married (41%), people who
are married (53%) and, somewhat surprisingly, cohabitating adults (49%)
are more likely to strongly agree with the statement.
It may be that these differences of opinion spring at least in part
from confusion or ambivalence about the purpose of sex. When U.S. adults
are asked to choose one or more phrases from a list of options that
summarizes what sex is for, not everyone agrees.
Among all American adults, the most common answers given when asked
about the purpose of sex were “to express intimacy between two people
who love each other (63%), “to reproduce / to have children” (60%), and
to connect with another person in an enjoyable way (45%).
There are disparities, for instance, between generational cohorts.
Overall, Elders and Boomers tend to share a stronger consensus about the
purpose of sex. That is, clear majorities among the older generations
say sex is for procreation (79% Elders; 71% Boomers), expressing
intimacy between two people who love each other (68% Elders; 73%
Boomers) or uniting a man and woman in marriage (62% Elders; 50%
Boomers).
The two younger adult generations are much less likely to embrace
these traditional views of sex. Most Gen-Xers and Millennials continue
to believe conventional ideas of sex: that it is to express intimacy
between two people who love each other (57% Gen-Xers; 56% Millennials)
or to procreate (52% Gen-Xers; 51% Millennials). However, the notion
that it should unite a man and woman in marriage is endorsed by just
one-third of Xers and Millennials.
Nearly half of younger generations say that sex is to connect with
another person in an enjoyable way (44% Gen-Xers; 49% Millennials),
though this sentiment is not much different from older adults. Notably,
Millennials are much more likely than older adults to say the purpose of
sex is self-expression and personal fulfillment (41%).
Gender seems to play a role in one’s view of sex. Seven out of 10
women (69%) say the purpose of sex is to express intimacy, but a smaller
majority of men, 57 percent, believe the same. Conversely, men are more
likely than women to indicate sex unites a man and woman in marriage
(45% men; 39% women) or satisfies a biological need other than
procreation (43% men; 36% women).
Practicing Christians (56%) are more than twice as likely as those
with no faith (25%) to say the purpose of sex is to unite a man and
woman in marriage. At the same time, those with no faith are much more
prone than practicing Christians to say sex is for connecting with
another person in an enjoyable way (60% no faith; 36% practicing
Christians) or for self-expression or personal fulfillment (46% no
faith; 26% practicing Christians). There are also notable differences
between these groups and Americans who identify with a religious faith
other than Christianity. For instance, those of other faiths consider
marriage as at a higher rate (32%) than the other groups (23% no faith;
15% practicing Christians), or to satisfy a biological need, (46%),
comparatively (33% no faith; 32% Practicing Christians).
Traditional Sexual Ethics: Moral, Good and Unrealistic
Barna asked American adults their opinion of traditional Christian
sexual ethics, which teaches “that sex should only be within a marriage
between a man and a woman.” Among all adults, the top five descriptions
of this phrase are “moral” (36%), “good” (28%), “healthy” (27%), “right”
(27%) and “unrealistic” (22%). The rest were “anti-gay” (16%), “too
strict” (13%), “repressive” (13%), “virtuous” (12%), “unenlightened”
(9%), “wrong” (7%), and “damaging” (6%).
Generationally, there is again greater consensus among older adults
than among younger Americans on this matter. The top five descriptions
among Gen-Xers and Millennials are similar to their older counterparts,
but smaller proportions share the traditional point of view on
traditional Christian sexual ethics. For example, “moral” is the
number-one choice of both Millennials and Elders, but the younger cohort
(26%) is half as likely as their elders (51%) to choose this option.
Also, Millennials were the only generational segment that had “anti-gay”
(19%) in their top five, as well as the only one missing “right” (16%)
from their top five.
Unsurprisingly, Christians hold more positive opinions than
non-Christians when it comes to traditional Christian sexual ethics. On
the other hand, adults who say they are not believers (that is, they are
atheists, agnostics or unaffiliated) view the statements on Christian
sexual ethics in a distinctively negative light: Just 11 percent believe
traditional ethics are “moral,” and that definition ranks ninth among
their preferences—the highest of all positive descriptors. Otherwise,
non-believers say that such sexual ethics are unrealistic (36%),
anti-gay (27%), repressive (25%), too strict (17%), or that they aren’t
sure what to make of it (17%).
What’s interesting is that people who hold to faiths other than
Christianity, such as Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and so on, are likely to
embrace a mix of favorable and unfavorable views of traditional sexual
ethics. Their top five descriptors includes moral (28%), right (26%),
anti-gay (24%), unrealistic (22%), and good (21%).
What the Research Means
Roxanne Stone is editor in chief at Barna Group and says that the
research shows the collision of new and old attitudes about sex in
society today. “The big story here is how little everyone agrees on when
it comes to the purpose of sex,” says Stone. "There’s never been a
shortage of conversations and cultural imagination around sex, but this
current lack of consensus points to a growing ambiguity and tension over
its place in society and in the individual’s life.
“Of course, the greatest divides are where you’d expect them,” notes
Stone. “Between people of faith—especially Christians—and the broader
population. And between younger and older generations. Whereas
practicing Christians still overwhelmingly tie sex to marriage, the move
among the greater U.S. population—most evidently among younger
generations—is a de-linking of marriage and sex. Sex has become less a
function of procreation or an expression of intimacy and more of a
personal experience. To have sex is increasingly seen as a pleasurable
and important element in the journey toward self-fulfillment.
"It is impossible to separate this shift from other cultural trends,
most notably the delay of marriage,” continues Stone. "The age of first
marriage has climbed into the late twenties for both men and women.
This, dovetailing with a popular and increasingly assumed narrative of
sex as a normal part of the single life, makes the case for saving sex
until marriage a radical one.
“It’s important for Christian leaders to notice this shift in the
framing of sex and to adjust their own conversations accordingly,” says
Stone. "If sex is being viewed as an individualistic act of
self-expression and personal fulfillment—then how can leaders both
acknowledge the ways sex does help us grow as individuals, but also
offer a counter-narrative that emphasizes the sacrificial nature of love
and intimacy? If a significant (albeit decreasing) number of young
adults still view sex as an avenue toward intimacy—then how can leaders
celebrate that desire, while offering reasons to reserve that level of
intimacy for marriage? The views toward the meaning of sex revealed in
the research can help Christian leaders frame their conversations about
sex toward the real perspectives and pain points Americans—especially
young adults—are feeling toward the topic."
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About the Research
The study on which these findings are based was conducted via online
surveys from August 24 to August 26, 2015. A total of 1,000 interviews
were conducted. The sample error is plus or minus 3.0 percentage points
at the 95-percent confidence level. The completion rate was 71 percent.
Minimal statistical weighting was used to calibrate the sample to
known population percentages in relation to demographic variables. The
online study is derived from a probability panel, which means that
respondents are recruited for inclusion in the research based on
physical mailing addresses, not an opt-in online panel. Those randomly
selected households without Internet access are provided an
Internet-enabled device to complete surveys.
Generations: Millennials are the generation born
between 1984 through 2002; Gen-Xers, between 1965 and 1983; Boomers,
between 1946 and 1964; and Elders, in 1945 or earlier.
“Other faith” indicates respondents who self-identify with a religion other than Christianity.
“No faith” indicates respondents who self-identify as atheist or agnostic, or who are religiously unaffiliated.
“Practicing Christians” are self-identified Christians who have
attended a church service in the past month and say their religious
faith is very important in their life.
About Barna Group
Barna Group (which includes its research division, Barna Research
Group) is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization under the
umbrella of the Issachar Companies. Located in Ventura, California,
Barna Group has been conducting and analyzing primary research to
understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and
behaviors since 1984.
If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release
of each update on the latest research findings from Barna Group, you may
subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org).
© 2016 by Barna Group.
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