Finding out that your partner is cheating hurts to the core and it may feel like you?ve got the worse luck in love, but the fact is that, around 25% of those who are married and around 40% of those in other romantic relationships experience at least one incident of cheating. In fact, a survey published in an issue of Marriage and Divorce says that 70% of all Americans get involved in some kind of affair at least once during their marriage. These numbers are no doubt, shocking. What makes them engage in infidelity? Is infidelity the norm these days? Find answers and insights on the latest infidelity statistics shared below.
Infidelity Statistics, Comparing 2018 and 2019
According to statistics for both 2018 and 2019, men are more likely to cheat than women as supported by the data from the recent General Social Survey which says that 13% of women and 20% of men admitted to having sex with someone who is not their spouse while married.? This is not a new finding, as the trend for the past 2 decades says that the total number of cheating has largely remained the same. What?s new, though, is that there has been a 40% increase in the number of women cheating. Male infidelity remains steady and the survey says more men cheat than women. Sexual dissatisfaction is the main reason for cheating in most cases except for those who were cheating online. According to a study by YouGov, apps and online dating has been making it easier for people to cheat. The study adds that men are 3X more likely to use dating sites and apps for casual sex than women and that approximately 1 in every 6 people in dating apps are using the app to cheat on their relationship.
Which Gender Cheats More?
Although men are still cheating more than women, recent data from a survey by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago says that the gender pattern is changing. The younger the respondents are, the higher the percentage of women who have cheated (a difference of 2.9% between women who are 18 to 24 vs women older than 65) and the opposite is true for men.
What Ages Cheat More?
As can be seen above, age is another factor in infidelity. Both men and women experience a surge in infidelity during their middle ages. For men, this peaks between 51 and 59, with 31% saying they have cheated around this age although older than 60 is catching up. For women, older statistics say that they peak at infidelity of 18% between 40 and 49 although now that is shifting to between 50-59. Respondents in their 70?s and 80?s tend to cheat less but the infidelity rate for men is still at 24-26%, 18% higher than the numbers for women.
Are Beliefs and Religion A Factor in Cheating?
It seems that following a faith makes people cheat less. Those who attend church more are less likely to cheat although no specific religion stands out for faithfulness.
Does Family History and Background Play a Role in Cheating?
18% of the respondents who did not grow up with both parents cheated compared to 13% amongst those who grew up with both parents whether the parents are adoptive or biological.
Do Cheaters Tell Their Partner?
According to a survey conducted in Michigan, 52.1% of their respondents who cheated came clean to their partner about their cheating while 47.9% admitted to cheating to a person other than their partner. For those who told their partners, 47.7% told their partner within a week while 26.6% fessed up within a month and 25.7% took 6 months or longer. Of those who told their partner about them cheating, 54.5% broke up immediately and 15.6% are still together.
Are Divorcees More Likely to Cheat?
The Institute of Family Studies says that 40% of those who cheated on their new spouse has been divorced in the past. Only 17% of those who were faithful were separated or divorced. 76% of divorcees who never cheated remarried while 50% of divorcees with a history of cheating remarried. More men than women who cheated remarried again.
How Prevalent is Same-Sex Cheating in Bisexual and Heterosexual Couples?
You might think that this is unlikely to happen but according to the study published in Evolutionary Psychology journal, 2.9% of those who cheated on their partners were attracted to both sexes equally and may have cheated with same-sex partners. Additionally, 33% of male respondents claimed they would tolerate their female partner cheating with another woman while only 22% of women declared the same. When asked if they would prefer that their partner cheat on them with a same-sex partner, 62.2% of women said that they prefer their man to cheat with a woman rather than a man while 76.4% of men said they prefer their woman to cheat on them with another woman.
Is Emotional Infidelity More Common than Sexual Infidelity?
Studies show that emotional infidelity can be as dangerous as sexual infidelity more so now with the prevalence of dating sites and apps. The University of Wisconsin published a study in Evolutionary Psychology that says men and women have different perceptions regarding emotional infidelity and sexual infidelity. More men find sexual infidelity more upsetting than emotional infidelity and the opposite is true for women. With this said, 73% of women and 56% of men said they would be very upset to find out that their partner had an emotional affair with someone else.
Does One-Night-Stands or Long-Term Cheating Happen More?
Short-term affairs and one-night-stands happen a lot more than long-term affairs. Only 10% of affairs last more than 6 months. 25% last less than a week and 65% end in the first 6 months.
Is Cheating Likely to Recur?
Have you wondered if once a cheater is indeed always a cheater? The answer seems to be yes statistically. A study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior says that those who cheated in the past are 3X more likely to cheat again in a future relationship.
Does Online Infidelity Happen More Than Offline Infidelity?
Various studies say that 3% of all cheating women and 8% of all cheating men found their cheating partners online. 90% of those who cheated online started a new affair as soon as their previous online affair is over.
People from What Careers Cheat More?
Women from the medical and education fields tend to cheat more than women in other fields and men from trades and information technology cheat more than men in other fields.
Do People Cheat with Former Lovers?
People tend to cheat on a new relationship when they want to get back to their former partner. Keep in mind that there is no specific study for people who cheat on a current partner with an ex.
Do Business Trips Play a Role in Cheating?
In a Gleeden survey covering 8,000 respondents, 57% of women and 62% of men admitted to having an affair when they are away on business. 53% of the men and 27% of the women said the affair was with a co-worker.
What Are the Main Reasons for Cheating?
44% of men who cheated said they do it because they wanted more sex while 40% of men said they wanted more variety in sex. As for the women, 40% said they cheat out of wanting an emotional connection and 33% said they do it to feel that there are still desirable. Interestingly, 11% of women say they do it as an act of revenge.
Do you want answers to know if your relationship is part of the statistics above? We can help investigate a cheating spouse. Contact us if you?re thinking of hiring a private investigator to catch a cheating spouse today.
