Psychology Today Article: Updated Estimate of Number of Non-Monogamous People in US

[Al99]

Updated Estimate of Number of Non-Monogamous People in US
Surprising results from recent research
From Psychology Today - By Elizabeth Sheff, PhD
(Author of The Polyamorists Next Door)
Posted May 27, 2019

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...limZGLwP4_Tw7QaEKp7DDaZRJ73hBYKeA2QKRsvVfCb0M


Sheff started with the following introduction:

As I explain in Seven Forms of Non-Monogamy, consensual non-monogamies take a range of forms including swinging, polygamy, open relationships, polyamory, monogamish relationships, and relationship anarchy. For their study of monogamous and non-monogamous populations, Rubin and colleagues defined CNM as “any relationship agreement in which the partners openly agree to have more than one sexual or romantic relationship(s).”

Then provided the following interesting data:

Using two separate samples based on the US Census, Haupert and colleagues found that fully one-fifth of the population in the United States (21.9% in the first sample and 21.2% in the second sample) has engaged in consensual non-monogamy at some point in their lives.

Sheff goes on to make the case that this number is probably understated for various reasons - and then offers the following data as well:

More people try CNM at some point across their lifetime than are currently in a CNM relationship at any single point in time. Rubin and colleagues found that 4% to 5% of the population of the United States was currently involved in a CNM relationship. While that might sound like a small number of people, it is larger than the entire bisexual, lesbian, and gay population combined.

I did find it surprising that the Gay/Lesbian population was less than the 4-5% range quoted for the CNM population...although she is well established as an authority on the subject.

Al

 

[kdt26417]

Sounds like the amount of CNM (in the United States) is on the rise. Perhaps the amount being reported is on the rise too. That's good news.