What Is Cheating? HuffPost/YouGov Poll Addresses Adulterous Behaviors

What constitutes cheating?

Most people might agree that having sex with someone other than your partner is clear-cut infidelity, but what about sending the occasional flirty text message? Or reconnecting with an old flame on Facebook? It?s this gray area that often lands spouses in hot water.

HuffPost Divorce recently partnered with YouGov to poll 1,000 U.S. adults about what they consider to be adulterous behaviors ?- and the answers may surprise you.

A whopping 79 percent of people surveyed would consider it cheating if their partner sent sexy text messages or pictures to someone else, and 60 percent said forming a deep emotional connection with someone other than their partner would constitute infidelity. Only 48 percent of people surveyed would consider it cheating if their partner kissed someone else on the lips; 26 percent would not consider it cheating and another 26 percent said they weren?t sure.

As for reaching out to an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend on Facebook? Only 24 percent of people surveyed would consider it cheating. And those who frequent strip clubs can sleep easy too; less than a quarter of respondents (24 percent) would consider it cheating if their partner went to a strip club. A majority -? 61 percent ?- would not consider it cheating.

Click through the slideshow for more interesting survey results, including breakdowns by gender and political affiliation. Then, take the YouGov poll below to see how you stack up against our national sample.

• Fifty-six percent of women polled said that if their partner kissed someone else on the lips, they would consider it cheating, versus 40 percent of men who felt the same.

• Younger people were more likely to consider it cheating if their partner kissed someone else on the lips than older people. Seventy-four percent of 18-29 year-olds polled would consider it cheating if their partner kissed someone else on the lips, as compared to 53 percent of those ages 30-44, 38 percent of 45-64 year-olds and 30 percent of those 65+.

• Women were more likely than men to perceive it to be cheating if their partner sent a sexy text message or photo to someone else: 85 percent of women polled would consider it cheating, versus 74 percent of men.

• There was a big discrepancy among men and women regarding forming a deep emotional connection with someone else: 70 percent of women said they would consider it cheating, compared to 50 percent of men.

• Age was also a factor in whether or not respondents said that forming a deep emotional connection with someone other than their partner constituted infidelity. While 69 percent of people ages 65+ would consider that cheating, only 52 percent of people ages 18-29 said the same.

• Democrats and Republicans don't see eye to eye on strip clubs. Thirty-five percent of Republicans said that they <em>would</em> consider it cheating if their partner went to a strip club, compared to 19 percent of Democrats. (Sixty-eight percent of Democrats said they wouldn't consider it cheating, compared to 51 percent of Republicans).

• If a partner were to reconnect with an ex on Facebook, 26 percent of women would consider it cheating (42 percent would not) compared to 21 percent of males (56 percent would not).

• Republicans and Democrats also differed on the implications of reconnecting with an old flame on Facebook; 29 percent of Republicans said that they would consider it cheating (44 percent would not), versus 19 percent of Democrats (51 percent would not).

The HuffPost/YouGov poll was conducted March 8-10 among 1,000 U.S. adults. The poll used a sample selected from YouGov's opt-in online panel to match the demographics and other characteristics of the adult U.S. population. Factors considered include age, race, gender, education, employment, income, marital status, number of children, voter registration, time and location of Internet access, interest in politics, religion and church attendance.

The Huffington Post has teamed up with YouGov to conduct daily opinion polls. You can learn more about this project and take part in YouGov's nationally representative opinion polling.

Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Divorce on Facebook and Twitter.

Earlier on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/what-is-cheating_n_3189080.html

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