A relationship study between amount of sex information and the atttitude toward participation in Kinsey-type interviews

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between accurate information concerning sexual matters and (1) attitude toward and (2) freedom in discussing sexual material openly in an interview situation. Specifically, the hypotheses were: 1. A high amount of accurate sexual knowledge will have a negative correlation with the attitude that Kinsey- type interviews are an invasion of privacy. 2. A low amount of accurate sexual knowledge will have a positive correlation with refusal or hesitation in taking part in Kinsey-type interviews. 3. A negative attitude toward the interview will have a positive correlation with refusal or hesitation in taking part in the interview. An effort was made to examine how certain demographic data (i.e., age, socioeconomic level, verbal and mathematical reasoning, sex, and marital status) were related to the hypotheses. The understanding of such relationships would clarify the role of education in promoting a healthy approach to the subject as well as providing an insight into some characteristics of those persons who have and those persons who have not participated in sex research when they had the opportunity. All three hypotheses were confirmed. That is, there were positive relationships between (1) the amount of accurate sex information possessed and considering the interview not to be an invasion of privacy; (2) the amount of accurate sex information and being willing to participate in the sex discussion interview; and (3) not seeing the interview as an invasion of privacy and being willing to participate in the sex discussion interview. Further analysis of the data revealed other relevant conclusions. The more the individuals differ because of the factors stated above, (i.e., the demographic data), the less the attitude and behavior correspond. Also, the sex of the subjects and the amount of sex information they possess determine in part whether they will be willing participants in sex discussion interviews, whether they will be willing but generally against the idea of the interview, whether they will be unwilling entirely, or whether they will be undecided about whether to participate.