South Carolina is well known as a politically conservative state. It would be unusual to characterize it as a swing state. But what about behind closed doors?
Along with several other Southern states, South Carolina is among the top 10 states in the nation for the swinging lifestyle – or at least curiosity – a recent study showed. Just below our North Carolina neighbors in search volume, S.C. has one of the largest populations of swingers – couples who exchange sex partners – in the country.
Adult novelty toy brand Joy Love Dolls, which produced the study, might know a little bit about nontraditional sexual practices. The company analyzed Google Trends data over a 12-month period to find information for their swinger study, tracking search queries like “swing lifestyle,” “wife swapping” and “sex parties.” Here’s what they found, and why it might not be the definitive analysis on the subject.
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How common is the swing lifestyle in South Carolina?
The study found that S.C.’s monthly search volume was 481 searches a month per 100,000 people, placing it in eighth place for swinging searchers. This is just below N.C.’s 498 per 100,000.
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Where else is swinging popular in the US?
Here’s the the top 15 states ranked by monthly average search volume for a swinger lifestyle per 100,000 people:
- Pennsylvania: 660 per 100,000
- New York: 590
- Delaware: 537
- Michigan: 526
- New Jersey: 512
- Virginia: 501
- North Carolina: 498
- South Carolina: 481
- Nevada: 460
- Ohio: 459
- Maryland: 458
- Florida: 453
- Rhode Island: 453
- Connecticut: 439
- Tennessee: 437
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Another look
While the study by Joy Love Dolls uses Google search information to compile its rankings, its findings reflect only the level of interest people might have, and not that they actually engage in swinging. A different study, by BedBible.com, purports to track people who actually engage in the practice of partner sharing. In its analysis, based on 2021 data, South Carolina ranks 23rd in the country for swinging, while North Carolina is 30th.
Meanwhile, only three states are in the top 15 of both studies: Delaware, Nevada and Tennessee.
All of which goes to say that studies like these should be taken with a grain of salt.
How can you tell if someone is a swinger?
In the Joy Love Dolls analysis, sex education expert Amy Nguyen identified a few common symbols that may indicate someone is involved in the swinging community:
- Pink flamingo, garden gnome, or pampas grass in the front lawn.
- Upside down pineapple displayed in front yard, patio, or mailbox.
- Black ring on the right hand.
- Large mirrors in the home.
- Hot tub in the backyard.
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Myths and misconceptions about swinging
Even if you didn’t know what swinging was, you could probably guess that the practice is widely considered taboo. However, many couples in the lifestyle are now pushing for acceptance. Swinging couples busted the following myths in previous USA TODAY reporting:
Swingers are only focused on sex: “Often the people that you meet, you don’t always have sex with them, you just make really good friends, and you can be open with them,” said Simon Hopper, who cohosts the Bed Hoppers podcast alongside his wife Carolyn. They told USA TODAY that they seek to create “friendships with benefits.”
It’s easy to dive into the lifestyle: The Hoppers said that it took a while for them to adapt to the community. “It took us a long time to find people that we liked,” Simon said. They host events where those interested in the lifestyle “can come along and find people to hook up with at a later date or later that night when our event has ended.”
Swinging will fix a broken relationship: Allison Moon, author of “Getting It: A Guide to Hot, Healthy Hookups and Shame-Free Sex,” previously told USA TODAY that swinging won’t fix a broken relationship, but “it can add new adventure and excitement to already solid ones.” Moon noted that opening a relationship works best in an already established relationship that’s stable, honest and communicative.
Todd Runkle is the Carolinas Connect editor and also a content coach for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at trunkle@gannett.com.