TAKE THE BERKELEY JEWISH SEX SURVEY

Berkeley polls Jews on sexuality and Halacha (JPost)
A study being conducted by Mark Guterman, a doctoral student in psychology, and Orit Avishai, who is working on her PhD in sociology at the University of California, Berkeley ... examines how Jews worldwide from across the denominations observe nidda, the period of marital separation in the days during and following a woman's menstruation, and negia (prohibitions on premarital touching), and how these practices relate to sexual satisfaction.

An on-line survey (http://www.jewishsurveys.org/), circulated through blogs and message boards, poses some 50 questions intended to gather quantitative and qualitative data on the practices of singles and married couples. Participants are asked to respond to statements that include: I am satisfied with my spouse as a sexual partner; After sex I feel relaxed, fulfilled; I have good communication with my spouse about sex.

Respondents are also asked about their religious affiliations and beliefs, including whether: God intended sex to be only for procreation; within marriage, participation in sexual activities solely for pleasure is a sin; within marriage, participation in sexual activities other than penile vaginal intercourse, such as oral sex, would not be approved of by God; and within marriage, sexuality is a gift of God and as such should be enjoyed.

Guterman and Avishai have received 2,000 responses so far, and they hope to have many more come June, when they will stop collecting data and begin to analyze it.