(4 of 9)
Is it morally wrong for teen-agers to have sex relations? Yes, said 63%. Those under age 25 disagreed, by a vote of 60% to 34%, but they were shouted down, as in real life, by their parents. The condemnation rose to a figure of 72% among those aged 35 to 49, and to 80% among those over 50.
Parents apparently suffer few illusions, however, about how much effect their frowning will have. About three-quarters approve of classroom discussions of sex relations even before high school, and more than three-quarters think parents are doing "the right thing" in instructing their own teen-age children about the use of contraceptives. Still, they keep hoping. When asked at what age it is "permissible" for a single young man to start having sex, 34% said he should wait until marriage, and 26% were not sure. Forty-two percent thought young women should wait until marriage, and 24% were not sure. (A 1976 survey of actual practice indicated that 55% of unmarried women had had intercourse by age 19. For men of that age, the estimates run to at least 85%)
Is it morally wrong for couples who are not married to live together? No, said 52%. This is the only category of "liberated" sexual behavior asked about in the poll that was accepted by a majority—however thin—and that is because of large approval among men and the young. For 51% of women, living together is still considered morally wrong, as it is among 52% of those between 35 and 49. And the acceptance of cohabitation does not necessarily lead to the acceptance of illegitimate children. Seventy percent of all those polled disapproved of having children without formal marriage.
Putting aside the word moral, the interviewers then listed a number of practices and asked whether they had become acceptable at least for other people, even if not for yourself." Once again, a majority found many things unacceptable: nude bathing beaches (61%), massage parlors (60%), male nudity in movies (59%) female nudity in movies (54%), topless waitresses in nightclubs (51%).
On each of the Yankelovich questions there are wide divisions between groups. Just as men tend to be more liberal or permissive than women, Catholics are more liberal than Protestants. The Northeast and the West are the most liberal areas, the South the least so. The young as always, are far more easygoing than the old, and the college-educated more than those without a college education. On the question of whether it is morally wrong for a man to spend an evening with a prostitute, for example, the rate of disapproval varies from 55% in the West to 69% in the South, from 54% among men to 69% among women, from 51% of those under 25 to 74% of those over 50, from 51% of college graduates to 65% of those who did not attend college.
In a number of cases, public controversy over an issue seems to have made people more evenly divided. Twenty-five years ago, homosexuality was rarely discussed and almost nobody willingly admitted to it. Today, in the era of gay rights marches, the Yankelovich survey asked whether sex between consenting homosexuals is morally wrong. Forty-seven percent said yes, but 43% said no and 10% were not sure, a higher rate of uncertainty than on any other subject.