Attitudes towards Casual Sex Among Moscow Youth

The separation of sexuality from its reproductive function at the end of the 20th century led to the emergence of new types of intimate relationships and the indistinct boundaries between them. Prior research has thoroughly investigated young adults sex practices outside of committed romantic relationships and psychology aspects of it, but few scholars have examined casual sexual relationships. The current study examined the social attitudes regarding casual sex in the perception of Moscow young people. The present research is based on the data collected through an online survey of 338 Moscow students, of both sexes, between the ages of 18-24. We used a quota sample and recruited respondents via social media pages and groups. Analysis of the data showed that attitudes about casual sex are quite neutral among young people. The respondents have a high degree of the cognitive component of the attitude. Regarding the emotional component of attitudes, the hypothetical situations that the respondents had to evaluate were significant: depending on them, the subjective assessment changed in a more positive or negative direction. So, one-night stands and purely sexual relationships developed into one factor, and friends with benefits and one-night stand with the transition to a romantic relationship into others. The interest in casual sex has emerged as an independent component of attitudes. Finally, the behavioural component demonstrated the willingness of respondents to participate in casual sexual practices and allowed to convince the possibility of using the socio-sexual orientation scale for its measurement (SOI-R). The determinants of attitudes were also found: personal social approval of specific sexual practices, social approval of specific practices by parents and close friends, the gender of the respondent, their religiosity and sexual orientation, as well as the experience of casual sex and the experience of romantic relationships.