On June 11th, the 2005-2006 survey of national morality was released by the Beijing Daily.

The survey revealed that most people accept and are tolerant of premarital sex. In addition, nearly 80 percent of people interviewed said that premarital sex could be accepted by moral standards. One-third of people interviewed accepts and is tolerant of extramarital sex.

According to the data, only 15.26 percent think that premarital sex is immoral and resolutely combative; 12.77 percent think that premarital sex is immoral, but understandable; 32.68 percent think that if two people love each other, premarital sex could be acceptable; 28.83 percent think that premarital sex is someone's private, personal information. Therefore, most people accept and are tolerant of premarital sex. Nearly 80 percent of people interviewed said that premarital sex could be accepted by moral standards.

The article pointed out that the principle of sexual morality dominates social ideas. According to the data, youth who hold a resolutely combative attitude only account for 6.99 percent of those between twenty and twenty-nine years of age. It has been shown that most young men accept premarital sex.

In regards to extramarital sex, nearly half of the people interviewed think that it is immoral and definitely combative; 26.35 percent can understand it; 15.07 percent think that it is done in secret; the remainder of those interviewed could even accept extramarital sex. In other words, one-third of people interviewed accepts and is tolerant of extramarital sex.

Experts pointed out that China is now changing from a traditional society to a modern society, and having more impacts on most families and marriages. Based on people's attitudes toward extramarital sex, it is not surprising that rate of divorce is high.

By People's Daily Online