Sex before marriage (Demographic Patterns)

There's been a lot of discussion about the way morals and attitudes about sex are changing in this country. If a man and woman have sex relations before marriage, do you think it is always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at. Results weighted by WTCOMB (General Social Survey 2008 Cross-Section and Panel Combined)

Sex before marriage by Age

	18-29 years old	30-44 years old	45-59 years old	60-74 years old	75 years and old	Missing	TOTAL
Always wrong	15.5% 76	23.4% 147	24.0% 162	27.9% 107	36.6% 56	9	23.5% 548
Almost always wrong	6.1% 30	5.9% 37	7.1% 48	8.6% 33	15.0% 23	1	7.3% 171
Sometimes wrong	19.8% 97	17.3% 109	12.8% 86	20.9% 80	18.3% 28	1	17.2% 400
Not wrong at all	56.2% 275	50.7% 319	54.3% 366	38.1% 146	25.5% 39	6	49.2% 1145
Don't know	2.2% 11	2.2% 14	1.2% 8	3.7% 14	3.9% 6	1	2.3% 53
No answer	0.0% 0	0.5% 3	0.6% 4	0.8% 3	0.7% 1	1	0.5% 11
Missing	251	328	338	190	98	0	1205
TOTAL	100.0% 489	100.0% 629	100.0% 674	100.0% 383	100.0% 153	19	2328

Sex before marriage by Sex

	Male	Female	TOTAL
Always wrong	20.0% 218	26.9% 338	23.7% 556
Almost always wrong	6.7% 73	8.0% 100	7.4% 173
Sometimes wrong	17.2% 188	17.0% 213	17.1% 401
Not wrong at all	53.3% 582	45.3% 569	49.0% 1151
Don't know	2.2% 24	2.4% 30	2.3% 54
No answer	0.5% 6	0.5% 6	0.5% 12
Missing	524	686	1210
TOTAL	100.0% 1091	100.0% 1256	2347

Sex before marriage by Region

	Northeast	Midwest	South	West	TOTAL
Always wrong	13.7% 54	22.5% 114	30.3% 270	21.4% 119	23.7% 557
Almost always wrong	6.6% 26	7.7% 39	7.6% 68	7.2% 40	7.4% 173
Sometimes wrong	16.5% 65	15.4% 78	17.7% 158	17.8% 99	17.0% 400
Not wrong at all	58.1% 229	52.6% 266	41.3% 368	51.9% 288	49.0% 1151
Don't know	4.3% 17	1.6% 8	2.2% 20	1.6% 9	2.3% 54
No answer	0.8% 3	0.2% 1	0.9% 8	0.0% 0	0.5% 12
Missing	211	254	415	331	1211
TOTAL	100.0% 394	100.0% 506	100.0% 892	100.0% 555	2347

Sex before marriage by Political ideology

	Liberal	Moderate	Conservative	Missing	TOTAL
Always wrong	9.6% 60	20.9% 175	36.6% 297	26	23.4% 532
Almost always wrong	6.3% 39	6.4% 54	8.9% 72	8	7.3% 165
Sometimes wrong	19.0% 118	14.9% 125	18.0% 146	12	17.1% 389
Not wrong at all	64.3% 400	53.3% 447	34.5% 280	23	49.6% 1127
Don't know	0.8% 5	3.3% 28	1.7% 14	7	2.1% 47
No answer	0.0% 0	1.2% 10	0.2% 2	0	0.5% 12
Missing	309	477	375	0	1161
TOTAL	100.0% 622	100.0% 839	100.0% 811	76	2272

Sex before marriage by Religion

	Protestant	Catholic	Jewish	None	Other	Missing	TOTAL
Always wrong	34.0% 393	16.2% 96	10.0% 5	6.8% 26	23.2% 35	1	23.8% 555
Almost always wrong	9.2% 106	5.4% 32	2.0% 1	4.7% 18	9.3% 14	2	7.3% 171
Sometimes wrong	16.5% 191	18.1% 107	42.0% 21	14.3% 55	15.9% 24	3	17.0% 398
Not wrong at all	37.3% 431	58.4% 346	42.0% 21	71.7% 276	46.4% 70	6	49.0% 1144
Don't know	2.5% 29	1.2% 7	4.0% 2	2.6% 10	4.6% 7	0	2.4% 55
No answer	0.6% 7	0.7% 4	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.7% 1	0	0.5% 12
Missing	597	313	14	197	88	0	1209
TOTAL	100.0% 1157	100.0% 592	100.0% 50	100.0% 385	100.0% 151	12	2335

Sex before marriage by Race

	White	Black	Other	TOTAL
Always wrong	22.1% 407	33.7% 97	23.8% 53	23.7% 557
Almost always wrong	7.1% 130	8.7% 25	8.1% 18	7.4% 173
Sometimes wrong	17.8% 327	10.1% 29	20.6% 46	17.1% 402
Not wrong at all	50.4% 927	44.1% 127	43.9% 98	49.0% 1152
Don't know	2.1% 39	3.1% 9	3.1% 7	2.3% 55
No answer	0.6% 11	0.3% 1	0.4% 1	0.6% 13
Missing	934	161	116	1211
TOTAL	100.0% 1841	100.0% 288	100.0% 223	2352

Sex before marriage by Education

	Left high school	High school	Junior college	Bachelor	Graduate	Missing	TOTAL
Always wrong	26.0% 79	25.4% 300	23.5% 48	21.8% 94	15.4% 35	0	23.7% 556
Almost always wrong	13.2% 40	6.4% 75	6.4% 13	6.3% 27	7.9% 18	0	7.4% 173
Sometimes wrong	12.8% 39	15.7% 185	17.2% 35	23.4% 101	18.5% 42	0	17.1% 402
Not wrong at all	43.1% 131	49.2% 580	51.0% 104	47.5% 205	56.8% 129	1	49.0% 1149
Don't know	4.6% 14	2.7% 32	2.0% 4	0.5% 2	1.3% 3	0	2.3% 55
No answer	0.3% 1	0.7% 8	0.0% 0	0.7% 3	0.0% 0	0	0.5% 12
Missing	184	604	94	210	119	0	1211
TOTAL	100.0% 304	100.0% 1180	100.0% 204	100.0% 432	100.0% 227	1	2347

Notes

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 to be part of a program of social indicator research, replicating questionnaire items and wording in order to facilitate time-trend studies. The 2008 GSS featured special modules on attitudes toward science and technology, self-employment, terrorism preparation, global economics, sports and leisure, social inequality, sexual behaviors and religion. Items on religion covered denominational affiliation, church attendance, religious upbringing, personal beliefs, and religious experiences.

The GSS is in transition from a replicating cross-sectional design to a design that uses rotating panels. In 2008 there were two components: a new 2008 cross-section with 2,023 cases and the first re-interviews (panel) with 1,536 respondents from the 2006 GSS. The 2,023 cases in the cross-section have been previously released as a part of the 1972-2008 cumulative data. This new release includes those 1,536 re-interviewed panel cases along with the 2,023 cases. Please note that this is not a cumulative file - those cases and variables not surveyed in 2008 are excluded. Also note that, although those 1,536 cases were from the 2006 sample, this release does not include their responses in 2006. We plan to release a data file with the previous responses in the future. This release introduces new variables that were asked only of the panel cases of the 2008 GSS. The majority of variables introduced are related to the 2007 International Social Survey Program (ISSP) module on leisure time and sports.