Sociocultural Correlates of Permissive Sexual Attitudes: A Test of Reiss's Hypotheses About Sweden and the United States - Statistical Data Included

Journal of Sex Research, Feb, 2000 by Martin S. Weinberg, Ilsa Lottes, Frances M. Shaver

The relationship between country and a nonregulatory perspective toward pornography did not reach statistical significance at the .003 level ([Beta] = .09, p = .01). Neither did the relationship between country and egalitarian sexual attitudes ([Beta] = .08, p = .01).

Multiple Regressions

The results of the stepwise regression examining the hypothesized effects of the mediating variables on the relationship between country and sexually permissive attitudes are presented in Table 1. The standardized regression coefficients that follow were all significant at the .003 level. Model I shows a [Beta] = .48 for the country-permissiveness relationship. Model 2 demonstrates that controlling for religiosity had a sizeable effect on this relationship, decreasing the [Beta] to .36. However, the inclusion of gender egalitarianism (Model 3) had a negligible effect ([Beta] = .35). In Model 4, naturalistic views of sexuality had a substantial effect, reducing the country-permissiveness [Beta] to .23. Model 5 shows that a nonregulatory perspective had no additional explanatory effect ([Beta] = .25). Finally, shifting the order of variable entry did not affect the overall results.

Table 1. Standardized Coefficients for the Regression of Permissive Sexual Attitudes on Reiss's Hypothesized Variables

                                       Model

Variable                       1          2           3

Country                       .48(a)       .36(a)       .35(a)
                           (16.70)      (12.77)      (11.37)
Religiosity                                .35(a)      -.35(a)
                                       (-12.27)      (-12.20)

Gender egalitarianism

  Government                                             .05
                                                       (1.73)
  Work                                                  -.05
                                                      (-1.67)
  Social                                                -.01
                                                        (.44)

Naturalistic view

  Nudity

  Masturbation

  Desire

Nonregulatory view

  Homosexuality

  Abortion

  Pornography

Adjusted [R.sup.2]               .23         .34         .34

                                     Model

Variable                          4           5

Country                          .23(a)      .25(a)
                               (6.59)      (7.17)
Religiosity                     -.29(a)     -.23(a)
                             (-10.17)     (-7.31)

Gender egalitarianism

  Government                     .05         .05
                               (1.60)      (1.71)
  Work                          -.07        0.05
                              (-2.54)     (-1.96)
  Social                         .00        -.01
                               (-.14)      (-.48)

Naturalistic view

  Nudity                         .08         .05
                               (2.46)      (1.59)
  Masturbation                   .15(a)      .12(a)
                               (5.24)      (4.35)
  Desire                         .18(a)      .17(a)
                               (6.10)      (5.95)

Nonregulatory view

  Homosexuality                              .02
                                            (.76)
  Abortion                                   .05
                                           (1.58)
  Pornography                                .14(a)
                                           (4.74)
Adjusted [R.sup.2]               .39         .41