Study: Hookup Culture Is a Myth

Despite what some alarmist news stories would have you believe, college students today actually have less sex than their peers 15 years ago, according to a study from the University of Portland. The study looked at the self-reported sexual behavior of students who went to college between 2002 and 2010 and compared it with that of students from 1988 and 1996. About 59 percent of the former group said they had sex once a week or more, compared with 65 percent for the older cohort. The two groups were almost exactly as likely to say they’d had two or more sexual partners since turning 18. “Our results provide no evidence that there has been a sea change in the sexual behavior of college students,” wrote the study’s lead author.