Americans are increasingly cheating on their partners, more open to multiple lovers and less enthusiastic about monogamy, a new survey on changing attitudes toward sex and love has revealed.
YouGov survey this month shows that while most Americans still want a fully monogamous marriage, the numbers are dwindling as people increasingly accept some degree of flirting.
Meanwhile, polygamy, the custom of having more than one spouse at the same time, remains largely taboo, but nearly a fifth of American adults say it will be legal within 50 years.
For many, the trend is not surprising, reflected in the celebrity cheating scandal involving stars Meghan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly and the open marriage between Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.
But for others, including conservative DailyMail.com columnist David Marcus, the trajectory is a worrying progression of the collapse of traditional norms about family life.
“Polygamy will be legal in parts of the United States within a decade,” Marcus posted on social media.
Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly have been caught up in a recent cheating scandal, an issue modern couples must address as social norms and expectations change.
Comparing this month’s YouGov polls with results from seven years ago shows an evolving trend away from conventional monogamous relationships.
“There is no logical basis to object once you accept gay marriage.”
This month’s YouGov survey comparison of 1,000 adults with the same questions asked in 2016 shows the evolution of American attitudes toward romance and fidelity.
The proportion of respondents who described their current relationship as “completely monogamous” dropped from 71% in 2016 to 66% this month.
Those who saw monogamy as the ideal relationship also fell from 62 percent to 55 percent during that period.
Meanwhile, the proportion of respondents who had sex with someone other than their primary romantic lover, without that partner’s consent, rose slightly from 19 percent in 2016 to 20 percent this year.
A similar increase is observed in the number of people who go to bed with the consent of their partner.
The research also found stark differences in opinion between men and women across all age groups.
Older women, for example, are more than twice as likely (74 percent) as younger men (35 percent) to say they want a completely monogamous relationship.
Among couples, the researchers found that men were “more likely than women to engage in sexual activity outside of their relationship.”
Attitudes towards polygamy also appear to be changing.
More than two-thirds (68 percent) of Americans are against legalizing the marriage of someone who already has a spouse.
But only about half (53 percent) of young adults, under the age of 29, oppose the idea.
Similarly, Democrats are more open than Republicans to the looser relationship structure.
“Although the majority of Americans do not want polygamy to be legalized, about half think it will be legalized in the next 50 years (18 percent) or are not sure (30 percent),” YouGov said in a statement.
Jada Pinkett Smith has admitted she had an extramarital affair while married to Will Smith during a revealing confessional.
Former GMA3 hosts TJ Holmes (right) and Amy Robach were recently spotted kissing at a resort poolside in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Rebellious congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green openly cheated on her husband Perry Greene (pictured) with men at their gym, DailyMail.com revealed
“Half (52 percent) say it won’t be legal in the next 50 years.”
The changing attitudes about sex and love occur against a backdrop of revelations about dating and unconventional relationships from a growing number of notable people, as well as efforts to change laws on marriage and polygamy.
The relationship between Fox, 36, the Transformers star, and her boyfriend, pop-punk rapper MGK, 32, have reportedly collapsed due to an affair.
Meanwhile, Amy Robach and TJ Holmes were spotted kissing in Mexico this month. The co-hosts were kicked out of Good Morning America after DailyMail.com revelations about their extramarital affair.
In a 2021 cover story for GQ magazine, Smith, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star, opened up about his open and unconventional marriage to his wife.
Even far-right Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had extramarital affairs, including one with a man who was dubbed her “polyamorous tantric sex guru.”
US courts have begun handing out slivers of recognition to polyamorous relationships: A New York City judge last year allowed some inheritance rights within a couple of times, but more concrete rights are a long way off. .
Megan Fox is currently “not in a good place yet” with Machine Gun Kelly, according to recent reports, even though she recently shut down speculation that he had cheated on her.