Extra-marital Sex

• Introduction
• Patterns
• Over Time
• Other Surveys

Extra-marital Sex (Demographic Patterns)

What is your opinion about a married person having sexual relations with someone other than the marriage partner -- is it always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all?

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Extra-marital Sex by Age (General Social Survey, 2006)

	18-30	31-44	45-64	65+	Missing	TOTAL
ALWAYS WRG	82.8% 327	77.8% 427	76.8% 536	80.6% 287	5	78.9% 1577
ALMOST AL.	8.9% 35	12.4% 68	13.9% 97	10.1% 36	0	11.8% 236
SOMETIMES	5.8% 23	5.8% 32	6.2% 43	6.5% 23	0	6.1% 121
NOT AT ALL	2.0% 8	2.7% 15	1.6% 11	0.6% 2	0	1.8% 36
DON'T KNOW	0.5% 2	0.9% 5	1.3% 9	1.1% 4	0	1.0% 20
NO ANSWER	0.0% 0	0.4% 2	0.3% 2	1.1% 4	0	0.4% 8
Missing	455	740	898	401	13	2507
TOTAL	100% 395	100% 549	100% 698	100% 356	18	1998

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Extra-marital Sex by Race (General Social Survey, 2006)

	White	Black	Other	TOTAL
ALWAYS WRG	78.5% 1154	81.6% 222	79.2% 206	79.0% 1582
ALMOST AL.	12.6% 186	8.1% 22	10.8% 28	11.8% 236
SOMETIMES	5.8% 86	5.9% 16	7.3% 19	6.0% 121
NOT AT ALL	1.7% 25	2.6% 7	1.5% 4	1.8% 36
DON'T KNOW	1.0% 15	1.1% 3	0.8% 2	1.0% 20
NO ANSWER	0.3% 5	0.7% 2	0.4% 1	0.4% 8
Missing	1813	362	332	2507
TOTAL	100% 1471	100% 272	100% 260	2003

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Extra-marital Sex by Religion (General Social Survey, 2006)

	Protestant	Catholic	Jewish	None	Other	Missing	TOTAL
ALWAYS WRG	84.3% 882	78.4% 380	58.6% 17	65.8% 221	76.0% 73	9	79.0% 1573
ALMOST AL.	9.6% 100	12.2% 59	17.2% 5	18.2% 61	11.5% 11	0	11.8% 236
SOMETIMES	4.0% 42	6.0% 29	17.2% 5	11.0% 37	8.3% 8	0	6.1% 121
NOT AT ALL	1.0% 10	1.9% 9	6.9% 2	3.0% 10	4.2% 4	1	1.8% 35
DON'T KNOW	0.8% 8	1.0% 5	0.0% 0	1.8% 6	0.0% 0	1	1.0% 19
NO ANSWER	0.4% 4	0.6% 3	0.0% 0	0.3% 1	0.0% 0	0	0.4% 8
Missing	1282	629	49	403	129	15	2507
TOTAL	100% 1046	100% 485	100% 29	100% 336	100% 96	26	1992

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Extra-marital Sex by Gender (General Social Survey, 2006)

	MALE	FEMALE	TOTAL
ALWAYS WRG	74.7% 647	82.2% 935	79.0% 1582
ALMOST AL.	14.4% 125	9.8% 111	11.8% 236
SOMETIMES	6.8% 59	5.5% 62	6.0% 121
NOT AT ALL	1.8% 16	1.8% 20	1.8% 36
DON'T KNOW	1.6% 14	0.5% 6	1.0% 20
NO ANSWER	0.6% 5	0.3% 3	0.4% 8
Missing	1137	1370	2507
TOTAL	100% 866	100% 1137	2003

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Extra-marital Sex by Church attendance (General Social Survey, 2006)

	Never	Yearly	Monthly	Weekly	Missing	TOTAL
ALWAYS WRG	72.7% 328	73.6% 447	79.9% 250	88.3% 553	4	79.0% 1578
ALMOST AL.	13.7% 62	15.7% 95	12.5% 39	6.2% 39	1	11.8% 235
SOMETIMES	9.5% 43	6.9% 42	4.8% 15	3.4% 21	0	6.1% 121
NOT AT ALL	2.2% 10	2.0% 12	1.3% 4	1.4% 9	1	1.8% 35
DON'T KNOW	1.3% 6	1.3% 8	1.3% 4	0.3% 2	0	1.0% 20
NO ANSWER	0.4% 2	0.5% 3	0.3% 1	0.3% 2	0	0.4% 8
Missing	569	768	375	782	13	2507
TOTAL	100% 451	100% 607	100% 313	100% 626	19	1997

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Extra-marital Sex by Political ideology (General Social Survey, 2006)

	Liberal	Moderate	Conservative	Missing	TOTAL
ALWAYS WRG	68.8% 355	81.1% 597	84.0% 573	57	78.9% 1525
ALMOST AL.	17.1% 88	10.1% 74	10.1% 69	5	11.9% 231
SOMETIMES	9.7% 50	5.8% 43	3.7% 25	3	6.1% 118
NOT AT ALL	3.3% 17	1.5% 11	1.2% 8	0	1.9% 36
DON'T KNOW	1.0% 5	1.1% 8	0.7% 5	2	0.9% 18
NO ANSWER	0.2% 1	0.4% 3	0.3% 2	2	0.3% 6
Missing	664	947	788	108	2507
TOTAL	100% 516	100% 736	100% 682	177	1934

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Extra-marital Sex by Education (General Social Survey, 2006)

	Not High School	High School	Jr. College	B.A.	Grad Degree	Missing	TOTAL
ALWAYS WRG	85.8% 248	80.5% 824	82.9% 141	77.2% 264	58.7% 105	0	79.0% 1582
ALMOST AL.	4.8% 14	10.7% 109	8.8% 15	16.1% 55	24.0% 43	0	11.8% 236
SOMETIMES	6.2% 18	5.3% 54	7.1% 12	4.4% 15	12.3% 22	0	6.0% 121
NOT AT ALL	2.4% 7	1.8% 18	1.2% 2	1.2% 4	2.8% 5	0	1.8% 36
DON'T KNOW	0.3% 1	1.3% 13	0.0% 0	0.9% 3	1.7% 3	0	1.0% 20
NO ANSWER	0.3% 1	0.5% 5	0.0% 0	0.3% 1	0.6% 1	0	0.4% 8
Missing	402	1250	207	421	224	3	2507
TOTAL	100% 289	100% 1023	100% 170	100% 342	100% 179	3	2003

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Notes

General Social Survey, 2006: The General Social Surveys (GSS) have been conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) annually since 1972 except for the years 1979, 1981, and 1992 (a supplement was added in 1992), and biennially beginning in 1994. The GSS are designed as part of a program of social indicator research, replicating questionnaire items and wording in order to facilitate time-trend studies. The 2006 GSS includes a topical module for mental health. Items in the 2006 GSS include questions on religious self-identification, denominational affiliation, personal beliefs, and religious upbringing.