Secondary Analysis of Social Attitudes Towards Consensual Nonmonogamy (CNM) in Spain

Abstract

Research on attitudes towards consensual nonmonogamy (CNM) has largely focused on convenience sampling and on North American populations and contexts, as well as on psychology-related studies. Despite growing interest in CNM regarding publications and social movements, limited research has been conducted on CNM in Spain. Through secondary analysis of survey data from Spain’s main sociological institution, this study provides much-needed analysis of social attitudes towards CNM and monogamy. The use of three approximations to monogamy as a relational ideology, polyamory, and open relationships (two of the most studied CNM configurations) provides significant insights into how social attitudes are distributed along sociodemographic lines, and into the dominant societal role of monogamy. Whereas gender showed no significant correlation with these attitudes, sexual orientation, age, a measure of happiness, political auto-identification, and religious affiliation were indeed relevant factors for attitudes towards either monogamy or polyamory and open relationships. These two CNM configurations were seen under a favourable light particularly by younger, bisexual, more left-leaning, and agnostic or atheist participants, whereas favourable attitudes towards monogamy were more widespread.