Indicators of a Double Standard and Generational Difference in Sexual Attitudes

Abstract

The Indicators of a Double Standard and Generational Difference in Sexual Attitudes were created by Martin S. Weinberg and Ilsa L. Lottes, stemming from a 1992 comparative research project focused on the sexual attitudes and behaviors of university students in the United States and Sweden. The instrument was specifically designed to investigate the expected societal differences in sexual norms, particularly testing the hypothesis that the double standard of sexuality would be less pronounced in the more homogeneous society of Sweden compared to the US.

Comprising six 5-point Likert-type items, the Indicators measure perceived heterogeneity in sexual outlooks across different groups. Respondents compare their personal sexual attitudes to those of their parents (mother and father) and various peer groups (close friends and age-matched students, separated by gender). Crucially, this instrument provides an indirect measure of perceived generational and gender differences, aiming to mitigate potential social desirability bias by making the assessment of the double standard less explicit to the respondent.

Keywords

Sexual attitudes, double standard, generational difference, gender roles, cross-cultural comparison, university students, social norms, Likert scale, sociology of sexuality.

Authors

Ilsa L. Lottes, Martin S. Weinberg.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Indicators is to systematically assess the perceived heterogeneity of sexual attitudes within a target population, focusing specifically on differences across generations and genders. By asking respondents to rate how liberal or conservative various reference groups are compared to themselves, the instrument captures the subjective perception of normative gaps.

The scale allows researchers to perform robust cross-population comparisons—as demonstrated in the original study comparing the US and Sweden—to identify where generational differences (e.g., between students and parents) are most pronounced, and where a gender-based double standard (e.g., between male and female peers) is most evident in perceived attitudes.

Construct

The Indicators measure the psychological and sociological construct of Perceived Attitudinal Distance relative to key reference groups. This construct is broken down into two main components: the perceived Generational Difference and the perceived Gender Double Standard.

The Generational Difference is assessed by comparing the respondent’s attitude to that of their mother and father. The Gender Double Standard is assessed by comparing the perceived attitudes of female peers (friends and students) against those of male peers. Because the items are worded such that the respondent is comparing others’ attitudes to their own, the instrument subtly measures the lack of homogeneity in sexual norms as internalized by the individual, providing insight into the social environment that shapes their own sexual norms.

Validity

Construct validity was established through the successful differentiation between US and Swedish student samples, with findings aligning precisely with socio-cultural expectations regarding sexual permissiveness and homogeneity. As predicted, Swedish students consistently reported higher levels of attitudinal similarity (homogeneity) compared to American students across both parental and peer groups.

For instance, a significantly larger proportion of Swedish students (77% to 89%) perceived their parents’ sexual attitudes as similar to their own, compared to American students (54% to 65%). Regarding the double standard, the data supported the expectation that the male-permissive double standard is more prevalent in the United States. American students displayed a greater discrepancy between rating female peers as “much more conservative” versus “much more liberal” than Swedish students, although only a minority of respondents in both countries explicitly indicated a perception of a male-permissive double standard (about 25% in the US and less than 10% in Sweden).

Reliability

Internal consistency reliability was examined using Cronbach alphas across four distinct country/gender subsamples (US males, US females, Swedish males, Swedish females). The results demonstrated acceptable to strong reliability for the derived factors.

Specifically, the Peer Factor consistently exhibited strong reliability, with Cronbach alphas ranging from .78 to .85 across all groups. The Parental Factor showed slightly more variability, with alphas ranging from .60 (US males) to .80 (Swedish males), indicating that while the two parental items cohere, the consistency is somewhat lower in certain samples than the peer items.

Factor Analysis

Principal components factor analyses were conducted using the original 5-point responses across all four country/gender groups. The analysis consistently revealed a clear and reliable two-factor structure across all samples, supporting the instrument’s design.

These two factors were identified as: 1) the Parental Factor, composed exclusively of the Mother and Father items, and 2) the Peer Factor, composed of the four items related to close friends and age-matched students. This factor structure provides strong empirical evidence that the instrument effectively separates the measurement of generational influences from peer influences on perceived sexual norms.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychological/Sociological Self-Report Scale

Format: Six 5-point Likert-type items. The response options range from (1) much more liberal to (5) much more conservative.

Language Available: English (Original research also utilized a Swedish translation).

Population Group: Adolescents and young adults.

Age Group: Appropriate for high school or university students.

Population Details: Originally validated on samples of male and female university students in the United States and Sweden.

Test Methodology: Respondents circle a number corresponding to their rating of how similar or different (liberal/conservative) the sexual attitudes of specific parent or peer groups are compared to their own. The instrument is brief, requiring less than 5 minutes to complete.

Keywords

Psychometrics, sexual norms, gender roles, cross-cultural psychology, double standard of sexuality, internal consistency, generational attitudes, social perception, peer influence.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Ilsa L. Lottes, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 5401 Wilkens Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21228.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: Developed for use in a comparative study conducted around 1992.

Permissions and Fees: Researchers interested in utilizing the scale should contact the corresponding author, Ilsa L. Lottes, for current usage permissions.

Reference’s

• Reiss, I. R. (1980). Sexual customs and gender roles in Sweden and America: An analysis and interpretation. In H. Lopata, (Ed.), Research on the interweave of social roles: Women and men (pp. 191–220). Greenwich, CT: JAI.
• Weinberg, M. S., Lottes, I. L., & Shaver, F. M. (1995). Swedish or American heterosexual college youth: Who is more permissive? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 24, 409–437.

Items of the Indicators of a Double Standard and Generational Difference in Sexual Attitudes

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Directions: Circle the number that corresponds to your answer. Do you think the sexual attitudes of the following people are more liberal or conservative than your own?