How did MSNBC and iVilliage get this data?

In a nutshell, here's the scoop on dating and marriage infidelity statistics:

What’s considered cheating?

• Sex and oral sex?

Nearly all participants say sex and oral sex with another partner is cheating.

• Is it cheating to romantically kiss another person?

89% of women and 77 % of men say yes.

• Is sending a sexually flirtatious e-mail to a co-worker cheating?

53% of men and 73% of women say yes

• Is looking at pornography is cheating?

6% of men and 16 % of women say yes..


• Is online sex talk and webcamming cheating?

Two-thirds say that engaging on online sex talk or Webcamming with someone else is a wrong.

When is cheating justifiable?

• Is it ever okay to cheat?

Over 70 % of people say it’s never okay to cheat.

• What if there’s no interest in sex?

26 % of men and 9 % of women say it’s justified if the other partner has lost interest in sex.

Have you ever cheated?

• Almost half of men and women have cheated at some point in their lives.


• Who’s cheated in the past?

22% of people have cheated on their current partner.

• Who’s currently having an affair?

Only 4%, phew!

How far would you go to find out whether your partner was cheating?

• 87% % of men and women would try to trick their partner into confessing

• 20 % of them would directly confront their partner with suspicions.

• More than 50% would be willing to snoop on e-mail

• Most people say they would check phone logs or phone bills.

• 69% of women and 57 % of men say they would hire a private investigator, yet few of the cheaters were actually caught by a private eye or snooping partner.

Did infidelity play a role in your divorce?

• 54% of divorces were partially due to a cheating spouse.

What do infidelity statistics say about after the affair?

• Over 75% say love is the most powerful reason for fidelity.

• 68 % say they didn’t want to lose their partner, with men a little more worried about it than women (70 % compared to 67 %).

• 41% of men didn’t want to risk losing their children.

• One in five men and one in 10 women were too afraid of getting caught.

• 6% said there was a lack of opportunity.

Who's the lover?

• 40 % of cheaters fooled around with a friend.

• 35 % of men and women had an affair with a co-worker.

• 23% of men were likely to cheat with someone they met at a bar.

• 22% of women were drawn to old flames.

How long did the affair last?

• 25% of affairs were a mere fling, lasting less than a week.

• 65 % ended before six months.

What about infidelity statistics and the kids?

• 37 % of women and 40 % of men cheated when there was a child in the home.

• 15 % of women and 16 % of men had an affair when there were children ages 2 to 5 living at home.

• 9 % of men and 7 % of women had an affair while there was a baby or toddler under 2 years old at home.

How did cheating make you feel?

• About 50% of cheaters felt guilty about it.

• 37 % say they regretted it.

• Over 50% of women felt more sexually desirable and more attractive after cheating.

• 23% of women and 18% of men feel the affair was justified.

• 30 % of women and 21% of men were sad about it afterwards.

Why do men cheat?

• 44 % wanted sex more often

• 40 % wanted more sexual variety.

• 42% cheat from physical attraction.

• 5% cheat for revenge.

Why do women cheat?

• 40 % desired more emotional attention.

• 33 % wanted reassurance of their desirability.

• 42% cheat from physical attraction.

• 11% say revenge was a reason to cheat.

Did technology play a role in your affair?

• One in five men and women who cheated used e-mail or text messages to arrange hookups.

• 8% of men and 3% of women found their affair partner at a dating Web site or chat room

• Most committed infidelity the old-fashioned way, no technology needed.

Did you get caught?

• 59 % believe they totally got away with their affair

• 11 % think their partner was suspicious.

• 15 % of women and 11% of men willingly confessed to cheating

• 6 % of men and women confessed when confronted.

• Only 2 % were caught in the act.

Have you ever been cheated on?

• 40 % of men and 53 % of women say they've been cheated on.

• 21 % suspect present or past affairs.

• 11 % are sure their current partner has had an affair.

What happened after you found out?

• 13 % of women and 18 % of men got over it and stayed together.

• 44 % of women and 37 % of men either left the partner immediately or later when they realized they couldn’t forgive the infidelity.

How many times have you been the other man or woman?

• About 50 % of survey takers say they’ve had a fling with someone else’s partner at least once.