What does Villanova say about the Hookup culture?
The hookup culture at college has been a hot topic for many years as it has become a social norm for campuses across the country. We decided to further explore what the hookup culture is like here at Villanova. Upon finding an anonymous blog titled Silence all Doubters ,which had some statistics regarding the Hook-up culture at Villanova, we decided to collaborate with another group who had conducted a survey also regarding the Hook-up culture here at Nova. Taking their survey results, we compared and contrasted them to the Silence All Doubters Blog post titled “Wanna Do Make Outs?-A Glimpse Beneath the Hookup Culture at Villanova” and found some interesting similarities and differences.
Villanova Survey:
Majority of those who participated in the hookup culture were freshmen
We asked some students for feedback on some of our questions, here were their responses:
What is the hookup culture?
“A way to have sexual interaction without emotional attachment.”
“A culture in which committed intimate relationships are trivialized and ‘consumer’ relationships are encouraged.”
“One that sees people as objects to enjoy rather than people worthy to put effort into for a relationship.”
“College kids having intimate contact (kissing, sex, etc.) with no attachment or obligation to continue the relationship.”
Hooking-up means…?
“Having sex with someone before marriage as a casual thing and not serious.”
“Making out our having sex.”
“I would define hooking up more as having sex without being in a committed relationship.”
“Casual acts of romantic relations, free from emotional commitment (ie: cuddling, kissing,
sex) with positive connotation.”
Is alcohol a major contributor?
“Parties, almost exclusively any place where alcohol is consumed, it is taboo for hookups to occur in daylight while sober”
“I have seen this acceptance and expectation at parties, most often when alcohol is involved.”
“Bars and parties. anywhere with alcohol.”
“Alcohol is involved, regrettable decisions are made.”
“Generally hook ups involve alcohol and occur in an environment that makes sexual assault more likely”
Our survey was answered primarily by freshman (68.8%). Most respondents said that hooking up discourages or replaces dating, and only 18% believe hooking up leads to or encourages dating.
Do you feel more of an influence and/or pressure to hook up at Villanova than in high school?
“It seems to be the expectation that to have the true college experience you need to have hookups.”
“Not pressure. I hook up with people because I want to not because I’m pressured to do so”
“Hooking up is much more accepted in college.”
“There is no pressure to hook up at parties or anywhere on campus which is nice.”
“At parties, I have felt like I need to hook up to fit in with the scene and the crowd.”
From The Silence all Doubters Blog:
Majority of participants were Seniors.
What is Hooking-up?
“Get drunk, make out at the bars.”
“People just hook up (i.e. anywhere from making out to having sex) without having anything else involved. It can be between strangers, friends, more than friends, you just are not dating. Dating would involve more of a commitment which hooking up does not have.”
“Hook-up culture is the prioritization of immediate sexual gratification over long-term commitment with a singular partner. This leads to many different partners with a shorter time commitment.”
Hooking-up Constitutes…
Alcohol use?
Would you ask a hook-up on a date?
Do you think there is is pressure to hook up at Villanova?
In Conclusion:
Our survey was answered primarily by freshman (68.8%). Most respondents said that hooking up discourages or replaces dating, and only 18% believe hooking up leads to or encourages dating. Alternatively, the “Silence All Doubters” survey had results from primarily seniors or post-graduate (67%). The majority (77.6%) of these respondents said they would ask a hook-up out on a date. We think there might be some significance to this… Maybe upperclassmen feel more inclined to have a relationship as they progress farther into life, while freshmen have more time to have hook ups before they think about settling down. It appears that upperclassmen feel pressured to both hook up and have a relationship. We aren’t sure why this is but would be interested to look further into it.
The question stands, then: Is hooking-up a good way to explore one’s sexuality or can it be detrimental to one’s emotional and physical health? Perhaps, it is a matter of perspective.
*statistics courtesy of Trish Hannett, Kelsey Lawrence and Dorcas Owusu