Is teen sex wrong? (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 a woman] are in their early teens, say fourteen to sixteen years old, in that case, do you think sex relations before marriage are a. Results weighted by WTCOMB (General Social Survey 2008 Cross-Section and Panel Combined)

Is teen sex wrong? 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	57.6% 282	71.7% 450	74.5% 502	76.0% 292	83.0% 127	14	71.0% 1653
Almost always wrong	21.8% 107	14.2% 89	14.8% 100	15.1% 58	6.5% 10	2	15.6% 364
Sometimes wrong	13.1% 64	7.8% 49	7.3% 49	6.3% 24	5.9% 9	0	8.4% 195
Not wrong at all	7.3% 36	5.6% 35	2.4% 16	2.1% 8	2.0% 3	1	4.2% 98
Don't know	0.2% 1	0.6% 4	0.7% 5	0.3% 1	2.0% 3	1	0.6% 14
No answer	0.0% 0	0.2% 1	0.3% 2	0.3% 1	0.7% 1	0	0.2% 5
Missing	251	328	338	190	98	0	1205
TOTAL	100.0% 490	100.0% 628	100.0% 674	100.0% 384	100.0% 153	18	2329

Is teen sex wrong? by Sex

	Male	Female	TOTAL
Always wrong	66.5% 725	75.0% 942	71.0% 1667
Almost always wrong	17.0% 186	14.3% 180	15.6% 366
Sometimes wrong	9.6% 105	7.2% 90	8.3% 195
Not wrong at all	5.7% 62	2.9% 37	4.2% 99
Don't know	0.8% 9	0.5% 6	0.6% 15
No answer	0.4% 4	0.1% 1	0.2% 5
Missing	524	686	1210
TOTAL	100.0% 1091	100.0% 1256	2347

Is teen sex wrong? by Region

	Northeast	Midwest	South	West	TOTAL
Always wrong	62.4% 247	71.5% 362	74.1% 661	71.7% 398	71.0% 1668
Almost always wrong	16.9% 67	16.4% 83	15.2% 136	14.6% 81	15.6% 367
Sometimes wrong	13.6% 54	8.1% 41	6.2% 55	8.3% 46	8.3% 196
Not wrong at all	5.6% 22	3.8% 19	3.5% 31	4.9% 27	4.2% 99
Don't know	1.3% 5	0.2% 1	0.7% 6	0.5% 3	0.6% 15
No answer	0.3% 1	0.0% 0	0.3% 3	0.0% 0	0.2% 4
Missing	211	254	415	331	1211
TOTAL	100.0% 396	100.0% 506	100.0% 892	100.0% 555	2349

Is teen sex wrong? by Political ideology

	Liberal	Moderate	Conservative	Missing	TOTAL
Always wrong	55.6% 346	72.3% 607	80.4% 653	62	70.6% 1606
Almost always wrong	22.3% 139	15.1% 127	12.2% 99	1	16.1% 365
Sometimes wrong	14.3% 89	7.0% 59	5.2% 42	6	8.4% 190
Not wrong at all	5.9% 37	4.9% 41	2.0% 16	6	4.1% 94
Don't know	1.6% 10	0.4% 3	0.2% 2	1	0.7% 15
No answer	0.2% 1	0.4% 3	0.0% 0	0	0.2% 4
Missing	309	477	375	0	1161
TOTAL	100.0% 622	100.0% 840	100.0% 812	76	2274

Is teen sex wrong? by Religion

	Protestant	Catholic	Jewish	None	Other	Missing	TOTAL
Always wrong	79.9% 926	71.5% 423	28.0% 14	48.1% 185	72.8% 110	10	70.9% 1658
Almost always wrong	12.1% 140	16.0% 95	34.0% 17	23.9% 92	13.9% 21	0	15.6% 365
Sometimes wrong	4.2% 49	8.4% 50	30.0% 15	17.9% 69	7.9% 12	1	8.3% 195
Not wrong at all	3.5% 40	3.5% 21	6.0% 3	7.5% 29	4.6% 7	0	4.3% 100
Don't know	0.3% 3	0.3% 2	2.0% 1	2.1% 8	0.0% 0	1	0.6% 14
No answer	0.1% 1	0.2% 1	0.0% 0	0.5% 2	0.7% 1	0	0.2% 5
Missing	597	313	14	197	88	0	1209
TOTAL	100.0% 1159	100.0% 592	100.0% 50	100.0% 385	100.0% 151	12	2337

Is teen sex wrong? by Race

	White	Black	Other	TOTAL
Always wrong	70.0% 1288	78.0% 223	70.6% 156	71.0% 1667
Almost always wrong	16.3% 300	10.5% 30	15.8% 35	15.6% 365
Sometimes wrong	9.3% 171	4.5% 13	5.0% 11	8.3% 195
Not wrong at all	3.8% 69	5.2% 15	7.2% 16	4.3% 100
Don't know	0.4% 7	1.7% 5	1.4% 3	0.6% 15
No answer	0.3% 5	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.2% 5
Missing	934	161	116	1211
TOTAL	100.0% 1840	100.0% 286	100.0% 221	2347

Is teen sex wrong? by Education

	Left high school	High school	Junior college	Bachelor	Graduate	Missing	TOTAL
Always wrong	75.6% 229	72.4% 855	71.6% 146	67.1% 290	65.0% 147	0	71.1% 1667
Almost always wrong	10.9% 33	14.1% 167	17.2% 35	20.4% 88	19.0% 43	0	15.6% 366
Sometimes wrong	6.3% 19	8.4% 99	6.9% 14	8.6% 37	11.5% 26	0	8.3% 195
Not wrong at all	6.6% 20	4.0% 47	3.9% 8	3.5% 15	3.5% 8	1	4.2% 98
Don't know	0.7% 2	0.8% 9	0.5% 1	0.2% 1	0.9% 2	0	0.6% 15
No answer	0.0% 0	0.3% 4	0.0% 0	0.2% 1	0.0% 0	0	0.2% 5
Missing	184	604	94	210	119	0	1211
TOTAL	100.0% 303	100.0% 1181	100.0% 204	100.0% 432	100.0% 226	1	2346

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.