Straying Spouses: How Common is Cheating in the US?
Americans Speak About Adultery
“Infants have their infancy; adults, adultery.”
There exists a common transgression that can rob us of our relationship, happiness and even our very identity. As common as this act is, it is still associated with lots of stigma: having an affair.
There is no other aspect of a couple’s relationship that elicits a similar amount of fear, fascination or gossip as cheating. It’s as old as the world is, and no matter if it’s legislated, demonized, debated or politicized- it’s still there and we hear echoes of it daily.
Right now, as you’re reading this post, affairs are happening in all four corners of the world. Some are having an affair, others are being cheated on; some are considering having one, others are doubting if a partner is faithful; some are trying to encourage someone who is in the throes of cheating, others are discussing the fresh news of adultery.
Cheating in the US
the United States is one of few industrialized countries where adultery is seen as a crime. Cheating on a spouse remains a criminal offense in 21 states, even though prosecutions are rare.
Depending on the state, punishments vary from small fines to actual time in prison. In divorce cases, adultery can play a major role in settling custody issues.
As sad as this may be, cheating is quite common among Americans. In fact, a recent study published in the Wall Street Journal states that adultery is more prevalent among Millennials.
Another study claims that around 30% to 60% of all married Americans will engage in adultery at some point during their marriage.
TruePublic users vote the cheating issue
On TruePublic, the anonymous opinion app, the following question was asked: “Have you ever cheated on a spouse or a significant other?”
- Yes
- No
According to our data taken from a poll of over 800 mobile online users across America, 17% stated they had cheated on a partner. Now, let’s dive deeper into the demographics of this voting and see statistics based on gender, age, region, race and political leaning.
There is difference depending on gender with men being slightly more likely to cheat in a relationship:
The opinions differ based on the region. Midwest is the leader with 20% of voters having admitted to adultery, while Northeast is the region with the lowest reported rate of cheating, 13%.
The age group of the voters also plays a major role in the way they responded. As many would expect based on longevity, Gen-X and Boomers are much more likely to have strayed in a relationship than Millennials.
The opinions also significantly vary depending on race, with Blacks and Hispanics reporting slightly higher cheating rates than Whites and Asians.
The political leaning of respondents is also notable: Independents were slightly more likely to report cheating than Democrats and Republicans.
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If you are interested in our methodology and the full numbers around this poll, please contact our team.. You may use this data and content freely if you cite the “TruePublic App” as your source in any written or audio publication. If you would like access to more data like this please contact our team: info@truepublic.com
