Attitudes and experiences of swinging couples

Swinging involves emotionally committed romantic partners engaging in sex with others, typically in the presence of one’s partner. Previous studies of the demographics, attitudes and behaviours of those involved in swinging are largely from the 1970s and tended to focus on obtaining information from only one member of a romantic pair. In the present exploratory, descriptive study of swingers, we endeavoured to obtain a contemporary sample to document demographics, to elucidate gender similarities and differences with respect to motivations and attitudes regarding swinging, and to gauge self- versus partner perceptions of this shared activity. We administered a questionnaire to 34 heterosexual couples attending a swinging club. Demographics match those found in previous studies of swingers. As expected, participants engaged in swinging for enjoyment and fantasy fulfilment and reported low jealousy from themselves and their partners. Results show few gender differences in attitudes toward swinging and consistent partner agreement of the motivations and parameters of participation in swinging. However, participants’ assessments of why their partners engaged in swinging were not consistent with their partners’ reports. Results and limitations are discussed.