Survey Results: Are boundaries subjective?
Are boundaries in committed relationships subjective? Or are there behaviors that cross boundaries and break trust in any relationship?
Here are the results of the survey conducted in August 2025.
Key insights and trends from the data:
Key Takeaways:
Strong Consensus on Absolute Boundaries: A significant majority of respondents (25 out of 32) strongly agree that some boundaries are absolute and should not be crossed in any relationship. This indicates a general understanding and agreement on the existence of non-negotiable boundaries.
Importance of Partner Agreement on Boundaries: There is a strong preference for shared understanding and agreement on boundaries within relationships, with 17 out of 32 respondents strongly agreeing and 11 agreeing that partners should agree on all boundary issues.
Intimacy-Related Boundaries are Top Concerns: The most frequently mentioned objective boundaries are primarily related to physical and emotional intimacy. This highlights that boundaries concerning intimacy and emotional connection are of paramount importance to respondents.
Sexual Interaction without Intercourse, Sexual Intercourse, and Online Sex were each mentioned 30 times, indicating these are highly sensitive areas for boundaries.
Online Flirting was mentioned 29 times, followed by Strong Emotional Connection (24 mentions) and Saying "I Love You" (23 mentions), further emphasizing the importance of emotional and digital boundaries.
Showing Physical Affection (hugs, kisses) was mentioned 21 times, suggesting that even seemingly minor physical interactions require clear boundaries.
Detailed Insights:
Gender Differences:
Females tend to have a slightly stronger belief in absolute boundaries (mean score of 1.78) compared to males (mean score of 1.00).
Males show a slightly higher mean agreement (1.56) that partners should agree on all boundary issues, compared to females (1.26).
Age-Related Trends:
Respondents aged 60+ show the strongest agreement on both absolute boundaries (mean of 1.74) and the need for partners to agree on all boundary issues (mean of 1.63).
The 30-45 age group has the lowest mean agreement (0.60) regarding partners agreeing on all boundary issues, suggesting more flexibility or less emphasis on complete agreement in this age group.
