Sexual Fantasies Across Gender and Sexual Orientation in a Large Sample of Italian Young Adults: A Multiple Correspondence Analysis

Abstract Differences in the content of sexual fantasies across gender have been widely documented, while less attention was given to the role of sexual orientation. Furthermore, previous studies focused on statistical differences in the prevalence of broad themes, neglecting the role of single fantasies. The current study aimed to increase the knowledge about sexual fantasies in heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual men and women. A descriptive approach that allows representing the patterns of fantasies reported by different groups using Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) is presented. A sample of 3,136 of young adults, 1,754 women (Mage = 22.50, SD = 1.72, range 18-25) and 1,382 men (Mage = 22.50, SD = 1.70, range 18-25), completed an online questionnaire assessing the presence of 29 different sexual fantasies. The prevalence of each fantasy among each group is shown. Also, relationships between fantasies and the distribution of groups along the two principal dimensions highlighted by MCA are represented. Heterosexuals women reported fewer fantasies and showed opposite patterns of response compared to heterosexual men. There was a substantial overlapping in the fantasies reported by gay and bisexual men, while responses of lesbian and bisexual women were relatively more differentiated. These results indicate that sexual orientation has a different impact on the sexual fantasies of men and women.