Since 1993, in response to an organized social movement sponsored by the Southern Baptist Church , well over two and a half million adolescents have taken public virginity pledges, in which they promise to abstain from sex until marriage. As might be expected, taking a pledge delays intercourse for some adolescents in some contexts, but not for all adolescents in all contexts. Understanding when and where the pledge is effective provides insight into the mechanism by which it operates. Overall, controlling for the standard social-demographic and contextual factors associated with the transition to sex, the pledge delays intercourse. In general, the delay effect is large, close to eighteen months, all other things considered.
More careful analysis suggests limits to the pledge.
Description of Add Health, our sample, and our methods, is beyond the scope of this report, but is available from the authors upon request. Two main factors structure the effectiveness of the pledge. The first factor is age. Pledging does not work for adolescents of all ages. It is most effective for younger adolescents and less so for adolescents over age 15.