One in ten Britons do not count one-night stands as cheating

by Emma Barlow | 19 March 2016

Relationships on Female First

New research has revealed the lines which Britons feel they can or cannot cross while in a committed relationship; revealing that one in ten people in the UK do not consider one night stands as cheating, while one in six think kissing another person on the lips is acceptable.

The survey also revealed the things which Britons do believe constitute unfaithfulness, with the majority considering attending strip shows, sending private messages on social media and posting provocative pictures as betrayals.

More than a fifth agree that it is not cheating if you have relations with somebody of the same sex. In comparison, more than half of those polled believe that sending private messages on social media counts as a betrayal, and over a quarter would consider communicating with an ex-partner to be cheating.

In a bid to learn more about Britons' attitudes towards infidelity, the team at OneNightFling.com, polled a total of 2,182 UK-based adults, who were all aged between 18-40 years old. In order to be selected, each participant had stated that they were in a committed relationship of at least six months and were sexually active.

Initially, all respondents were provided with a list of behaviours and asked to identify all those which they felt did not constitute cheating. The results were as follows:

1. 'Dirty' dancing - 72% (of respondents think this does not count as cheating)

2. Flirting - 63%

3. Holding hands - 46%

4. Sleeping with other people if your partner is too - 34%

5. Membership to dating apps/websites - 29%

6. Having sexual relations with a member of the same sex - 22%

7. Kissing on the lips - 15%

8. One night stands - 10%

9. Having sexual relations when drunk - 9%

10. Having sexual relations with people abroad - 8%

They were then provided with another list and asked to identify all behaviours which they felt did constitute cheating. The results were as follows:

1. Attending a strip show - 67% (of respondents think this does count as cheating)

2. Sending private messages on social media - 51%

3. Posting provocative pictures on social media - 41%

4. Watching pornography - 39%

5. Masturbation / using sex toys - 33%

6. Communicating with an ex-partner - 28%

7. Liking / publicly posting on social media - 26%

8. Flirting - 20%

9. Being close friends with a member of the opposite sex - 16%

10. Kissing on the cheek - 6%

All respondents were then asked if they would forgive their partner if they cheated, with cheating described as sexual intention, contact or intercourse, to which 72% stated that they would not, while the remaining 28% stated that they would.

All those who confirmed that they would not forgive their partner were asked if this would change if their partner was drunk, to which a third (32%) stated that they would be more likely to forgive their partner if they were drunk at the time of cheating.

David Moore, Spokesperson for www.OneNightFling.com commented "Cheating can be a very difficult topic of conversation to have with your loved one. Everyone is different and all couples have different boundaries; what is acceptable for one person is a breach of trust to another. While some things are more black and white than others, we were very surprised by the variances in the results of this survey. I guess that what we can take from this is, if you want to explore your options, check with your partner first - they might just be ok with it!"