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.
What Constitutes Infidelity?
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.