Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Americans disapprove of teenage sex as much as extramarital sex (and they really don't like the latter): In light of the discussion over peak age of attractiveness, it is interesting to me how teenage sex is universally condemned in this society. According to the GSS, only 2.7% of respondents think that sex between 14-16 year olds is not wrong. This figure is similar to the 3.8% who feel that extramarital sex is not wrong.

3 comments:

  1. That's pretty strange: you'd expect to see that reflected in age of consent laws, which in many states are 16 or a bit lower, assuming the two involved are w/in a certain range of each other (some states, 4 years, some others, 10 years).

    Or it could show that people will allow it but express mock outrage for whatever reason.

    Or it could show that legislators don't care what their constituents think.

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  2. Anonymous1:11 PM

    On a related note, groups often vote for policies that contradict their own behavior. Mexicans in America are said to vote more socially conservative, but their illegitimacy rates are far higher than say, Ashkenazi Jews who vote liberally, act conservatively. Thus the promiscous outsource prudency to the state. Similar to how unruly people need, and probably desire, a police state to maintain order.

    "Laws are always unstable unless they are founded on the manners of a nation; and manners are the only durable and resisting power in a people." - Alexis De Tocqueville

    Reality mocks political dogma - thus my conversion from libertarian to pragmatic conservative, or Whig. Though Tocqueville was a classical liberal, he lacked the dogmatism necessary to be a libertarian.

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  3. Anonymous5:19 AM

    It's surprising the the percentage that approve is so low. Even 10% is low, but 2.7%?

    It would be interesting if you analyzed the data further to determine how the 2.7% differ from the rest of the respondents.

    ReplyDelete

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