June 23, 2011: In attempting to determine who is unfaithful and why, a new infidelity study was done by Indiana University at Bloomington as reported by ABC News just two days ago, the lead author admitted there was one major flaw – no definition of infidelity. The study group administered questionnaires to more than 900 to determine the reasons that men and women are unfaithful. Instead the media reports focus on a rise in female infidelity – which has been debunked by analysis of the voluminous survey funded by the National Science Foundation.
Study author lead, post-doctoral student Kristen Mark:
Women who reported not being happy in a relationship and feeling that their partner didn’t hold similar sexual beliefs were more likely to be unfaithful. For men, one of the biggest factors that led to cheating was sexual excitability.
Numbers that differ from national studies
She added that 19 percent of women and 23 percent of men reported cheating, statistics that seem to reflect a closing of the cheating gender gap. Research from the 1990s found that only about 10 percent to 15 percent of women reported being unfaithful. Relationship experts, however, debate the implications of these data. . . .
Why the reporting differences?
These sorts of findings depend on how you ask the questions and who you’re asking,” said Scott Wetzler, vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y. “There are no data that I know of to speak to that.” Equal Opportunity Cheating: Women and Men Cheat at Same Rate
The Real Numbers
W. Bradford Wilcox is director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and also an associate professor of sociology. He told me in an earlier interview this year that “Infidelity has come down modestly since the 1990s. Americans are more likely now to express disapproval of infidelity than they were in the 1970s.”
Citing the General Social Survey, financed by the National Science Foundation, he said that 22 percent of ever-married men and 14 percent of ever-married women said they had had an extramarital affair over their lifetimes. Also infidelity overall has not increased over the last 20 years.Valentine love soars, infidelity dips, Providence Journal/ Rita Watson
Beware of 50 to 70 percent infidelity numbers
It is very difficult to determine exact numbers, but reports from the GSS can be trusted. Furthermore inflated Internet numbers of 50 to 70 percent have been deemed accurate.
How to determine the truth?
When studies are cited claiming widely inflated numbers it is important to know:
- Who is the study author?
- What date was the study conducted?
- How many people were involved
- The key questions asked.
This has further been noted by the head of the General Social Survey, Dr. Tom Smith. (Watch for my latest report from the nationally recognized experts.)
Copyright 2011 Rita Watson/ All Rights Reserved