You have full access to this open access article. Recent research shows an increase in polyamory and acceptance of polyamorous relationships. However, there is still limited research on broader attitudes toward monogamy and polyamory, particularly regarding legal rights and with a national sample. This study examines the impact of cohort, sexual orientation, and contact with polyamorists on attitudes toward monogamy and polyamorous legal rights.
This research has the potential to bring more attention to polyamorous relationships, disrupt heteronormative views of relationships, and consider legal rights for those in relationships involving more than two people. We use data from a sample of adults from the American Marriage Survey, a national survey focused on attitudes toward marriage post-marriage equality, to consider the relationship between cohort, sexual orientation, contact, and attitudes toward mononormativity and polyamory.
Overall, there is support for the idea that monogamy is the norm while people are generally not supportive of granting legal rights for polyamorous relationships. Younger cohorts, LGBQ individuals, and those who know a polyamorous person are less likely to support mononormativity and more likely to support legal rights for polyamorous relationships. While mononormativity remains the norm and polyamory is not widely supported, given patterns of greater acceptance among younger cohorts and LGBQ individuals, there is a good possibility that acceptance will increase over time.
However, there has also been a deinstitutionalization of marriage that suggests that people are more accepting of alternatives to marriage, such as living single, cohabitation and communal living, and different roles and behaviors within marriage Cherlin, , One less discussed alternative is polyamory, the practice of having multiple relationships with the knowledge of all partners.
A recent YouGov poll shows that Americans tend to disapprove of non-monogamous relationships such as open relationships and polyamory Sanders, It may be that polyamory is often conflated with cheating, resulting in the stigmatization of these relationships Ferrer, Based on an online survey, people tend to rate monogamous relationships higher than relationships involving consensual non-monogamy on a host of factors, such as being comforting, providing stability, being socially acceptable, providing closeness, and promoting respect and trust Conley et al.
