Over 30% Of Young People Don’t Think Sex Is Cheating

Over one in three young people do not think sleeping with someone behind their partner’s back as cheating, a shocking new study has revealed.

The study, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of IllicitEncounters.com, revealed that 32% of 18 to 24 year olds didn’t count sex outside of a relationship as being deceitful – compared with just 2% of those over 55.

Which of the following activities with another person constitutes cheating?
Ages	18-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55+
Flirting/teasing	34%	29%	22%	18%	16%
Sending sexy texts or tweets	47%	50%	50%	45%	44%
Touching/making physical contact	45%	51%	56%	57%	58%
‘Dirty dancing’	31%	40%	41%	38%	34%
Kissing	66%	73%	81%	78%	68%
Oral sex	67%	75%	88%	95%	94%
Sex	68%	75%	90%	97%	98%

Digital infidelity, such as sending sexy Tweets and texts, was unsurprisingly a major concern for young people. 47% of 18- to 24-year-olds said they would consider such interaction as cheating, compared with just 44% of their parents’ generation.

The survey, showed how attitudes towards infidelity have dramatically shifted.

Of the 4,000 married Brits surveyed, the youngest age group had a smaller spread of results when asked which flirtatious acts represented unfaithful behaviour. Their answers ranged from 31% (‘dirty dancing’) to 68% (sex), in comparison to the large spread of the oldest generation from 16% (flirting/teasing) to 98% (sex).

Spokesperson for IllicitEncounters.com Rosie Freeman-Jones commented: “We have seen a trend of attitudes towards infidelity shifting. Older generations that see a greater disparity between flirting and having sex, young people see all forms of cheating as similar importance.”

However younger Britons appeared more likely to end a relationship due to infidelity.

The youngest age group surveyed were the least likely (17%) to attempt to work through and forgive their partners’ infidelity. The over 55s were the most willing to maintain their relationship with a partner even in the face of infidelity.

The presence of alcohol also sparked differing results among the generations. Almost half of 18 to 24 year olds (48%) said cheating didn’t count if you were drunk, compared to just one in five among the over 55s.

Rosie added: “Older generations appear to be a lot more strict when it comes to cheating. However, they are more willing to work through their partners’ infidelity. This commitment to their marriage is likely to be due to religious and moral reasons, social pressures in their generation and the vast amount of time and effort they have devoted to their relationship.”

IllicitEncounters.com is the largest married dating website in the UK with nearly 800,000 members – approximately 5% of the UK’s married population.

Appendix

If your partner had an affair, would you choose to end the relationship?
Ages	18-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55+
Yes, immediately. I would not want to stay if he/she cheated on me	21%	24%	27%	24%	24%
Probably, though I would hear them out first	35%	38%	36%	34%	30%
Not if it was the first time they’d done so; only if they’d cheated before	27%	18%	14%	13%	11%
No, I would try my hardest to work through it	17%	20%	23%	29%	35%