How American Attitudes Toward Three Sexual Behaviors Changed, 1987–2024
Analysis based on data from the General Social Survey (GSS)
Introduction
American attitudes toward sexuality have changed substantially during the past several decades. However, these changes have not occurred equally across all behaviors. Using data from the General Social Survey (GSS), this report examines long-term trends in attitudes toward premarital sex, same-sex relations, and extramarital affairs.
Rather than asking whether Americans have simply become “more permissive,” this analysis explores whether different behaviors have experienced different patterns of change over time.
Method
Data were obtained from the General Social Survey (GSS), a nationally representative survey of adults in the United States. Responses from surveys conducted between 1987 and 2024 were analyzed. Across all survey years, analyses included 45,697 responses for premarital sex, 44,726 responses for same-sex relations, and 46,266 responses for extramarital affairs. Annual sample sizes generally ranged from approximately 900 to more than 2,600 respondents.
Three GSS questions asked respondents whether premarital sex, same-sex relations, and extramarital affairs are:
• Always wrong
• Almost always wrong
• Wrong only sometimes
• Not wrong
The exact wording of these questions was:
• If a man and a woman have sexual relations before marriage, do you think it is …
• What about sexual relations between two adults of the same sex–do you think it is …
• What is your opinion about a married person having sexual relations with someone other than the marriage partner–is it …
The percentage of respondents selecting “Always Wrong” was calculated for each survey year.
Results
Figure 1. Percentage of Americans saying each behavior is “Always Wrong,” 1987–2024.
• Attitudes toward same-sex relations showed the largest change.
• Attitudes toward premarital sex changed modestly.
• Attitudes toward extramarital affairs remained comparatively stable.
The three behaviors followed remarkably different trajectories.
Same-sex relations
Attitudes toward same-sex relations changed dramatically over the study period. In 1987, 78.2% of respondents said same-sex relations were always wrong. By 2024, that percentage had declined to 34.9%, representing a decrease of more than 43 percentage points.
This was by far the largest shift observed among the three behaviors.
Premarital sex
Attitudes toward premarital sex changed much less than many people might expect. The percentage considering premarital sex always wrong declined from 26.3% in 1988 (the first year this question was included) to 16.9% in 2024, a decrease of approximately 9 percentage points.
Although acceptance increased over time, the overall change was modest compared with attitudes toward same-sex relations.
Extramarital affairs
Attitudes toward extramarital affairs showed the greatest stability.
Approximately three-quarters of Americans consistently reported that extramarital affairs were always wrong throughout most of the study period. The percentage actually increased slightly during the 1990s and early 2000s, reaching a high of 81.9% in 2008 before declining in more recent years.
Even in 2024, 68.7% of respondents continued to say extramarital affairs were always wrong—only about 5 percentage points lower than in 1987.
After 2020, the percentage of “Always Wrong” responses increased on all three questions. Because the General Social Survey adopted mixed-mode data collection (newly incorporating online and phone interviews) beginning with the pandemic-era surveys, caution is warranted in interpreting changes after 2020. The observed shift may reflect changes in public attitudes, survey methodology, or a combination of both.
Discussion
The findings suggest that changes in American attitudes toward sexual behavior have not occurred uniformly.
Attitudes toward same-sex relations changed dramatically over the past four decades, while attitudes toward premarital sex became somewhat more accepting. In contrast, attitudes toward extramarital affairs remained comparatively stable, with nearly seven in ten Americans continuing to view such behavior as always wrong in 2024.
These patterns suggest that Americans did not simply become more permissive across all forms of sexual behavior. Instead, different behaviors experienced markedly different trajectories over time.
As with any descriptive analysis, these data do not explain why attitudes changed. Numerous social, cultural, legal, religious, and generational factors may have contributed to these long-term trends. The purpose of this report is to document the changes rather than determine their causes.
Conclusion
Over nearly four decades, Americans’ views of these three sexual behaviors followed distinctly different paths. The largest change occurred in attitudes toward same-sex relations, a more modest change occurred in attitudes toward premarital sex, and attitudes toward extramarital affairs remained comparatively stable.
These findings illustrate how nationally representative survey data can provide valuable insight into long-term changes in American public opinion.
One notable finding was the relative stability of attitudes toward extramarital affairs. Although opinions shifted substantially regarding same-sex relations and, to a lesser extent, premarital sex, a large majority of Americans continued to regard marital infidelity as always wrong throughout the study period.
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Data Summary
Behavior First Year Latest Year Change
Premarital sex 26.3% 16.9% –9.4 percentage points
Same-sex relations 78.2% 34.9% –43.3 percentage points
Extramarital affairs 73.3% 68.7% –4.6 percentage points
Source: General Social Survey (GSS), 1987–2024.
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