Change in Sexual Attitudes and Behavior of College Students from 1965 to 1980: A Research Note

This study is a third quintennial replication of Robinson et al.'s 1965 survey of premarital behavior and attitudes among college students. This study shows that: (1) there is a continued but asymptotic increase in reported premarital behavior among both men and women; (2) there are fewer differences in attitudes and behavior between men and women; and (3) some students have replaced the traditional double standard with a double standard. The new double standard is characterized by greater restrictions imposed on the behavior of others than on self The differences between the old and the double standard is that each sex imposes it on the other. Thus, an increase is observed in the view among students that premarital behavior is immoral and sinful, while at the same time reported behavior is at higher levels for both males and females than at any other time studied. This is characterized as sexual contradiction.