More than half of Chinese people say sex before marriage is acceptable, but a third state the proviso that the partners must have a genuine relationship, according to a survey on morality published on Tuesday.

The survey, initiated by the Renmin University of China, collected 5,951 valid responses from 6,000 distributed to people of different age groups, professions and education in 10 provinces and municipalities including Beijing and Shanghai.

The results showed 32.68 percent said as long as two partners truly loved each other, premarital sex should not be condemned, while almost 29 percent regarded premarital sex as a private matter.

Though 12.77 percent said premarital sex was immoral, they also said it was understandable.

Only 15.26 percent said premarital sex was immoral and should be "firmly opposed", and less than seven percent in the 20 to 29 age group believed premarital sex was immoral, according to the survey.

Wanyan Hua, a doctoral candidate at Renmin University, said Chinese young people were more open towards premarital sex than previous generations.

"The liberation of sexual concepts and sexual relations is a natural result of people seeking to be less constricted," said Wanyan, who helped formulate the survey.

"But man is not a primitive animal and love is not purely sex," she warned. "Over indulgence in sex will not only harm young people, but also weaken the concept of marriage and family."

Source: Xinhua