Half of Americans Say “Open Marriages” Are “Unacceptable”

Open marriages, or marriages in which both partners are allowed to freely date other people, are becoming an increasingly attractive option for modern couples. However, attitudes toward open marriages vary widely across the spectrum, and the majority of American couples still aren’t ready to take the plunge into polyamory.

According to one study conducted by the Pew Research Center, half of Americans say open marriages are either somewhat or completely unacceptable. 37% said that open marriages were completely unacceptable, while 13% said they’re somewhat unacceptable. Meanwhile, a third of Americans said that these marriages were somewhat or completely acceptable. 23% said open marriages were completely acceptable, while 11% said that they were somewhat acceptable. The remainder (16%) said it was neither acceptable nor unacceptable. Men were more likely to say that open marriages were at least somewhat acceptable. 36% of men responded positively to open marriages versus 30% of women.

Views of open marriages differed depending on race, ethnicity, age, marital status, and sexual orientation. 44% of Asian adults said that open marriages were acceptable versus only 33% of white respondents, 32% of Hispanic respondents, and 31% of Black respondents.

When it came to age, younger adults were the most likely to say that open marriages were acceptable while older adults were more likely to say that they were unacceptable. About half of all adults under the age of 30 (51%) said that open marriages were acceptable. These numbers go down as the age of the respondent goes up. Those aged 30 to 49 (41%) said that open marriages were acceptable less than half the time. Those aged 50 to 64 reported only a 26% affinity toward open marriages. 70% of those aged 65 and older said that open marriages were unacceptable.

Marital status was another factor that seemed to impact how people voted. Married adults (57%) and those who were separated or widowed (61%) said that open marriages were unacceptable. However, only 27% of those who had never been married or those living with a partner (35%) believed the same. In fact, those who were living with a partner in committed relationships were the most likely to say that open marriages were acceptable (56%).

The LGBTQ+ community also weighed in on the issue. Gay couples were much more likely than straight couples to say that open marriages were acceptable (75% to 29%).

Lastly, the matter was broken down by party lines. A majority of Republicans (64%) said that open marriages were unacceptable. 20% believed that they were acceptable. Views among Democrats were more mixed. 47% said open marriages were acceptable while 36% said that they were unacceptable. Liberal Democrats were the most likely to say that they are acceptable (63%).

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Source:

pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/09/14/views-of-divorce-and-open-marriages/