Zoosk survey of singles on monogamy and cheating looks at global gender differences; apart from a few surprises, men and women are remarkably similar around the world
September 29, 2011 (Toronto, ON) – How faithful are Canadians? Three-quarter of Canadian singles say they have never cheated in a monogamous relationship, ranking only behind the French (79%) and coming in neck-and-neck with the Brits (74%) and Americans (73%). According to a survey conducted by social dating network, Zoosk.ca on Monogamy and Cheating, the most prevalent cheaters are the Italians, with almost 40% saying they’ve cheated while in a relationship, followed by the Danes (34%).
While Zoosk’s Canadian singles claim to be among the most loyal partners in the world, their views on relationships are largely consistent with men and women from across the Atlantic according to the global survey, which asked over 14,000 singles from nine countries to weigh in on their past experiences and feelings about cheating and monogamy.
“While we did see some clear cultural distinctions, singles’ responses to the Zoosk Monogamy and Cheating Survey showed that, for the most part, people’s expectations in a relationship tend to be more gender-based than culturally based,” says Alex Mehr, co-founder and co-CEO of Zoosk. “For example, men across the board were more likely to prefer an open relationship to a monogamous one, and conversely women in all countries surveyed would have a harder time forgiving a cheating partner than men would. It’s very interesting to know that despite our cultural differences, we’re ultimately not that different in the world of dating.”
Here are some highlights on how Canadian men and women netted out against their global counterparts:
Monogamy has worldwide lockdown, but Italians pushing the envelope to “open”
Globally, monogamy is the ideal relationship for the majority of men and women in each country surveyed. In Canada, 92% of respondents ranked monogamy as their ideal relationship, compared to 93% in the U.S., and 94% in Sweden and the U.K. While most Italians still chose monogamy, they also were the largest group to opt for an open relationship (20%), followed by Germans (14%). On the gender front, Canadian men were three times more likely to prefer an open relationship (11%) than Canadian women (3%).
Great expectations: Canadian women care most about politicians’ moral conduct
Sixty percent of Canadian women said if a politician cheated on his or her spouse, it would influence their vote, followed by 57% of American women and 54% of Australian women. Canadian men weren’t as concerned about philandering politicians, with 40% saying it would influence their vote, compared to 50% of American men and 41% of British men. Overall, the countries that most strongly believed politicians’ personal lives were of no consequence were France (80%), Denmark (78%) and Italy (70%).
Tiger Woods in the collective doghouse
It’s almost unanimous. With the exception of the Italians and the French who awarded the top cheating spot to Silvio Berlusconi, Tiger Woods was ranked first in the “Cheaters Hall of Shame” amongst all men and women surveyed. For Canadian respondents, President Bill Clinton came in at number two, followed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
To flirt or not to flirt, that is the question
In any country, whether by phone, text or email, women more than men say that flirting is a form of cheating. Almost 40% of Canadian women say flirting is cheating compared to 25% of men. Similarly, 39% of French women compared to 30% of French men and 37% of American women compared to 29% of American men say that flirting is cheating. Both German women (22%) and men (19%) are least likely to view flirting as cheating.
Who’s been digging for dirt? Not Canadian men
When asked if they would monitor their partner’s online and cell phone activity for signs of cheating – even if they didn’t suspect any wrong-doing – Canadian men were the least curious of the bunch, with 12% saying they would snoop, compared to 17% of German men, 19% of Danish men and 38% of Italian men. Women in all countries were more likely to monitor their partner’s activity, with Canadian women twice as likely as Canadian men to monitor (27%). More than 50% of Italian women would snoop for signs of cheating, while American women were least likely to invade their partner’s privacy (21%).
Forgive me, forgive me not
Forgiveness is a universal struggle for both men and women, but women are less likely to forgive their partners for cheating in all countries surveyed. In Canada, 23% of women said they could forgive their partner for cheating, compared to 33% of men. Swedish women were the least likely to forgive (16%) compared to 31% of Swedish men, while Germans were most forgiving all around with 25% of women and 38% of men saying they could forgive their partners for cheating.
About the Zoosk Monogamy and Cheating Survey
The Zoosk poll was conducted online in May 2011 and fielded 14,096 responses from singles around the world who use Zoosk. Respondents included 5,354 singles who live in the United States; 1,622 who reside in the UK; 1,350 from Canada; 1,296 from Italy; 1,027 from Germany; 1,144 from France; 1,000 from Denmark; 759 from Australia and 544 from Sweden.
About Zoosk
Zoosk is one of the world’s largest social dating communities, with millions of singles from around the globe using the service each month. Zoosk provides a fun and social online dating experience that users can easily access from Zoosk’s website, social networking applications, mobile services, and a downloadable desktop application. Zoosk is available in more than 25 languages and has subscribers in more than 70 countries. The service enables users to join, browse, and send a limited number of messages for free. Zoosk users can upgrade to a premium subscription for full access or purchase virtual currency to buy select features and virtual gifts. Founded in 2007 by Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr, the company is based in San Francisco and backed by Canaan Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, and ATA Ventures.
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