College Environments and Premarital Sexual Standards

Comparing samples drawn from large and small, rural and urban, sectarian and nonsectarian colleges, differences among advocates of five different standards of premarital sexual behavior were noted. Characteristics of colleges in terms of size, locale, and affiliation, and responses of 10 men and 10 women, the eight different colleges to Stern's (1970) College Climate Index, allowed description of the psycho-social environments which tend to be associated with the adoption of different sexual standards. The respondents rated the goodness of ‘fit’ or match between their perceived needs and the environment of the college in which they were enrolled. Significant differences were for size and sectarian or nonsectarian affiliation but not for locale. Also, significant differences were obtained on 21 of the 30 College Climate Scales when the five sexual standards defined the groups. Present findings and prior work suggest that environmental conditions and levels of cognitive moral development influence attitudes toward premarital sexual activity.