Examining the Scalability of Intimacy Permissiveness in Taiwan

Abstract

This paper examines the scalability of intimacy permissiveness measures in Taiwan by using island-wide survey data. Among models for scaling analysis, the Guttman scaling model and two latent class models – the latent-distance model and Goodman’s scale model – were employed to examine the scalability of the scale measures. The data were drawn from the 2002 Taiwan Social Change Survey (Questionnaire No. 2), conducted by Academia Sinica. A total of 1983 completed interviews were obtained. This study found that the measures of intimacy permissiveness scale (IPS) were able to form a reasonable Guttman-type scale based on three scaling models. In order to understand whether the attitudinal patterns of Taiwanese toward premarital intimacy permissiveness, particularly the existence of sexual double standards, are consistent with those suggested by the previous literature, we conducted multinomial logistic regression of socio-demographic variables on the scale. Gender and age differences were found consistent with previous studies and mostly reconfirmed the appropriateness of the measures of IPS designed for the Taiwan Social Change Survey.