Late final yr, there was a variety of discuss on-line in regards to the “monogamy spectrum.”
YouGov launched a analysis research in 2016 asking individuals about their emotions about monogamy and the way they outline monogamy, and their survey outcomes have been damaged down by age group, gender, race, and different standards.
One of the crucial noteworthy facets of the research was how YouGov requested their respondents to rank their dedication to monogamy. Somewhat than current monogamy as an absolute binary — i.e., “Are you into monogamy or not?” — the group supplied a sliding scale.
For instance, one in every of their questions was: “On a scale the place 0 is totally monogamous and 6 is totally non-monogamous, what would your ideally suited relationship be?”
When the outcomes have been printed, many referred to that 0 to six scale as “the monogamy spectrum.” One Washington Put up article in regards to the survey requested, “Since intimacy and gender aren’t understood as binary anymore, does monogamy should be?”
Most articles in regards to the YouGov outcomes, whereas noting this new monogamy spectrum, went on to level out that millennials (age 30 and underneath) had the least devotion to strict monogamy, with solely 51 % saying that their ideally suited relationship could be utterly monogamous.
I suppose that’s noteworthy, and you’ll see a development the place age teams are extra concerned about “utterly monogamous” relationships as they age.
However the conclusion of “millennials simply aren’t into monogamy anymore” is a fairly large leap.
Right here’s why: The “monogamy spectrum” that YouGov offers is pretty undefined. If 0 is completely monogamous and 6 is the other, what does 1 imply? Or 2 or 3?
Does a 1 imply that you simply look lustfully at one other individual and by no means do something about it? Or does it imply you kissed somebody exterior of your relationship as soon as? 3 is true within the center, so what does that imply? An try for an extra-relationship factor was tried? Or did you undergo with it, nevertheless it was solely that one time?
Once you have a look at the breakdowns of how the age teams responded to the survey, there isn’t that a lot statistical distinction in how they responded. Sure, age 65+ appears probably the most devoted to finish monogamy, however we are able to additionally see that because the age group probably to say, “What does 2 imply? I don’t have time for this.”
The millennials may’ve unfold their votes throughout the “monogamy spectrum” slightly extra liberally, however we are able to additionally see them because the group that was in all probability the probably to attempt to determine the distinction between a 2 and a 4 score on the dimensions.
Apparently sufficient, the share of millennials who favored “utterly non-monogamous” relationships was fairly in line with the opposite age teams:
Seven % of individuals underneath 30 stated their ideally suited relationship was non-monogamous. For ages 30-44 and ages 45-64, that share solely rose to 9 %.
So, the age teams are literally pretty comparable in how they really feel about utterly open relationships. As for the spectrum, once more, it simply comes all the way down to the place individuals put their numbers on the ill-defined scale.
For the 0-6 monogamy scale for ideally suited relationships, 10 % of millennials stated their ideally suited relationship could be a 3 — that’s the identical share that ages 45-64 gave for 3 as properly.
Nonetheless, in the event you do have a look at the survey outcomes, probably the most fascinating outcomes are usually not about age teams. They’re about race.
The most important variations in survey responses come within the sections the place the respondents are damaged down by race.
For instance, within the 0-6 ideally suited relationship query, 69 % of white respondents stated that their ideally suited relationship was utterly monogamous. But solely 43 % of black respondents and 35 % of Hispanic respondents stated the identical factor.
Which means solely half of all Hispanic respondents felt the identical approach as white respondents about strict monogamy.
In a follow-up query, the place YouGov requested individuals to rank their present relationship on the 0-6 monogamy scale, the outcomes different much more by race.
Eighty-one % of white respondents, 50 % of black respondents, and solely 32 % of Hispanic respondents stated their present relationship is totally monogamous.
There are enormous variations between these teams, and I can’t perceive why these outcomes weren’t the first takeaway from the survey knowledge.
The age group variations on monogamy are minor as compared — however perhaps that makes a greater story or suggests a better conclusion. We will say, “Properly, younger individuals are extra open-minded, I suppose,” and see the fluctuations on the monogamy scale as some signal that polyamory or non-traditional monogamy is the wave of the long run.
However once you have a look at the information, I’ve to confess: I’m way more concerned about discovering out why racial teams appear to really feel so in another way about monogamy.
Is it a cultural factor? Does it have any socio-political origins? Do sure teams simply inherently reject binary labels greater than others?
Hopefully, YouGov and different teams will present some follow-up analysis on the way you outline monogamy, as a result of, greater than something, this survey raised extra questions than it answered. And it is essential to take any form of “morality” out of this dialog.
I’m nonetheless unsure that I consider in a monogamy spectrum, however I’m extra than ever to find out how sure age and racial teams outline that nebulous area between 0 and 6.
Tom Burns has served as a contributing editor for 8BitDad and The Good Males Venture, and his writing has been featured on Babble, Brightly, Mother.me, Time Journal, and varied different websites.
