Study: 66% of Americans Disapprove of First Date Sex

For as long as there have been first dates, there has been debate over whether or not first date sex is the way to go.

Some say to break traditional rules and do it if you want to. Others remind us, “Why would you buy the cow if the milk is free?”

What do Americans think about first dates that end up in the sack?

In our most recent study, we surveyed more than 1,000 Americans to find out how they feel about first date sex.

Interestingly two out of three Americans – 66 percent – disapprove of sex on the first date.

In a culture that is often portrayed as being “sex crazed” and increasingly liberal, this seems counterintuitive, so we asked our dating experts for their insight.

Gary Lewandowski Jr., the chair of psychology at Monmouth University and co-creator of ScienceofRelationships.com, explained that while most Americans say they don’t approve of first date sex, “it may not indicate how much first date sex [they] are having themselves.”

He continued, sharing that “the views respondents express may reflect their conformity to societal expectations.” Folks feel like they’re supposed to disapprove of it, so that’s what they say they do.

Breaking down the numbers further, we found a whopping 82 percent of women said they disapprove of sex on the first date. They are 71 percent more likely to feel this way than men, who look down on these early sexual escapades 48 percent of the time.

Robin Milhausen, an associate professor of human sexuality at the University of Guelph and a sexuality educator, said this is congruous with her research on sexual double-standards.

“Women are the harshest judges of other women’s behavior,” she said. “Many women wouldn’t think it was OK for a woman to have sex on the first date, thinking this would be ‘slutty behavior’. Women also are aware of the double-standard, recognizing they could be judged negatively if they had sex on the first date, making first date sex an unwise behavior for them.”

Men, on the other hand, have more supportive attitudes about casual sex than women, so they are less likely to disapprove of a roll in the hay on the first date.

The study surveyed 1,080 respondents over the course of three weeks, balancing responses by age, gender, income, race, sexuality and other factors in order to accurately represent the U.S. population. The study has a margin of error of +/- 2.8%.