April 27, 2017

Global Views on Premarital Sex and its Relation to Income and Happiness

Morality helps us make decisions that we think is proper and to avoid actions that are improper. But a choice one person thinks is just, can be thought as inappropriate to another individual. This is true for different countries and the cultures. Although there are some moral issues that many nations can agree are wrong, many issues vary from country to country. A good example of this would be whether or not premarital sex is morally acceptable.

Premarital sex tends to be a dividing issue. People from different countries have varying opinions about having casual sex. Using data from the Pew Research Center, International Monetary Fund, and World Happiness Report we examine the relationship between acceptance of premarital sex and its relationship with income and happiness. Let’s dive in and see what countries think about premarital sex.

85% of individuals in Southeastern Asian Countries Think Premarital Sex is Morally Unacceptable

Many Western and Latin American cultures believe that premarital sex is either morally acceptable or not a moral issue. That notion is flipped when examining Asian, African, and Middle Eastern countries. An overwhelming majority of people in those countries feel that premarital sex is morally unacceptable. The exception would be Eastern Asian countries. Opinions regarding the morality of casual sex are more mixed in these countries. However, the majority of Eastern Asian countries still think that either premarital sex is acceptable or not a moral issue.

Countries Where a Majority of the Population Think Premarital Sex is Unacceptable Make Less Than $11,000 a year

On average, the surveyed countries have an income of $17,383 a year. Countries where 50% or more of the population believe that premarital sex is morally unacceptable also make less than $11,000 a year. Most of the countries where premarital sex is morally unacceptable are Asian, African, and Middle Eastern countries. The exception would be Israel, South Korea, and Japan who have higher than average incomes and also are more accepting of premarital sex.

Countries Where a Majority of the Population Think Premarital Sex is Unacceptable Tend to be Less Happy

On average, the surveyed countries have a happiness score of 5.74 out of 10. The world happiness report asked respondents to rate their life satisfaction with a 0 being the worst possible life and a 10 being the best possible life. There are two distinct clusters in this graph. Countries with happiness scores that are higher than average tend to think premarital sex is not a moral issue or is morally acceptable. Countries with happiness scores that are less than the average tend to think premarital sex is morally unacceptable.

Source: Visual News