What if we asked Minnesotans about cohabitation?

Let's suppose we did a poll in Minnesota on the question of whether non-marital sexual cohabitation is morally wrong.  Would anyone be surprised if the results were something like the following?

Age 18-34:  33%

Age 65+:  70%

No college:  60%

College grad:  32%

Twin Cities metro:  40%

Rest of State:  59%

I wouldn't be in the least surprised by results such as these. In fact, I'd be surprised if the results were strongly at variance with them. Now, if that's right, how would we explain it? Perhaps we would say that part of the disparity is explained by whether a person has personal friends who are in cohabitating relationships. Would we be tempted to say that the people who have moral objections to cohabitation "tend to speak in more fear-based terms"?  Of course, people who do have those objections (I'm one) "fear" (entirely reasonably) that cohabitation tends to undermine the marriage culture. And they "fear" (entirely reasonably) the social consequences of the erosion of the marriage culture.  Does that make their opinions "fear-based"?  In a sense, yes---but referring to their concerns simply as "fear-based" hardly does justice to their view.

Now, would we say of younger people, "the fear theme tends not to be as readily discernible"?  Perhaps we would, since rightly or wrongly (I say wrongly) fewer young people "fear" the social consequences of widespread cohabitation (or out-of-wedlock childbearing, or unilateral divorce). But then, might we say of those young people who do not have moral objections to cohabitation that they "tend to speak in more relativism-based terms"?  One might very well say that, especially if one has taught introductory moral philosophy to college students.

One thing I certainly don't think would be warranted is any suggestion that those who do not object to cohabitation are likely to have a truly rational basis for their views, while those who do object are probably motivated by irrational or purely emotional factors ("fear").  (I don't think Rob was making such a suggestion in the case of polling in Minnesota about the amendment defining marriage, though perhaps others would make it.)