How Cohorts, Education, and Ideology Shaped a New Sexual Revolution on American Attitudes toward Nonmarital Sex, 1972–1998

Abstract

Data from the 1972–98 General Social Surveys document changes in attitudes toward premarital, extramarital, homosexual, and teenage sex. This analysis demonstrates the liberalizing effect of cohort succession but also finds intracohort change in attitudes as the birth cohorts age. Intracohort change dominated recent dramatic declines in disapproval of homosexuality. As theories of individualism and postmaterialism suggest, higher education, secularism, and relative income are associated with greater tolerance of homosexuality. Although the young and those who do not attend religious services frequently led the 1988–98 declines in disapproval of same-sex relations, the diffusion of permissive values from higher to lower education groups is also evident.

Homonegativity among first and second generation migrants in Europe: The interplay of time trends, origin, destination and religion

“…Similar to other attitudes regarding controversial subjects in the personal sphere, such as euthanasia (Jaspers, Lubbers and De Graaf 2007) and sexual intercourse outside marriage (Treas 2002), studies have reported a prolonged decline in disapproval of homosexuality over the last decades, in Europe ( Van de Meerendonk and Scheepers 2004), as well as in other Western countries (Inglehart 1989). These changes in attitudes over time are, however, more complex than might seem at first glance.…”

“…During the last decades, a prolonged decline in disapproval of homosexuality has been observed, in Europe and other industrialized nations (Loftus 2001;Treas 2002). The apparent decline in disapproval of homosexuality among natives in Western countries, might, however, not be a simple change in attitudes over time among all individuals, but seems to be largely attributable to cohort replacement (Inglehart 2008;Jaspers, Lubbers and De Graaf 2007;Meeusen and Hooghe 2012;Van de Meerendonk and Scheepers 2004).…”

“…One of the central arguments of this post-materialism theory is that value changes come with generational changes, stating that basic values are formed according to the conditions experienced during the socialization period (Inglehart 2008). Indeed, when it comes to disapproval of homosexuality, or other attitudes on controversial subjects in the personal sphere, the apparent decline over time is actually a product of intergenerational changes (Jaspers, Lubbers and De Graaf 2007;Loftus 2001;Treas 2002;Van de Meerendonk and Scheepers 2004).…”

When do circumstances excuse? Moral prejudices and beliefs about the true self drive preferences for agency-minimizing explanations

“…Perhaps people came to represent sexual orientation as 'innate' and this facilitated a broad change in their attitudes towards homosexuality (Sheldon, Pfeffer, Jayaratne, Feldbaum, & Petty, 2007;Wood & Bartkowski, 2004;); however, the mismatch hypothesis suggests that the causation may have traveled in the reverse direction. For example, cohort effects may have improved attitudes towards homosexuality (Andersen & Fetner, 2008;Treas, 2002) and this may have caused same-sex attraction to appear more essence-disclosing ('innate'). Thus, a tendency to represent the true self as virtuous may also help to explain the continued attraction of psychotherapies aimed at 'reorienting' nonheterosexuals (Dean Byrd, Nicolosi, & Potts, 2008;Haldeman, 2002).…”

Sexual Experience and Couple Formation Attitudes Among Emerging Adults

“…Indeed, over the past few decades emerging adults have also become increasingly accepting of premarital sexual activity within a committed relationship (Martin et al 2001;Treas 2002;Wells and Twenge 2005). Taking a developmental perspective Shulman and Seiffge-Krenke (2001), argue that adolescent relationships will naturally progress to include more sexual activity as a couple develops more characteristics of a true dyadic relationship.…”