- Study reveals increased acceptance of dishonesty among Germans
According to a study conducted by dating app Parship and market research institute Innofact, Germans are becoming increasingly accepting of extramarital affairs. The survey, which represents the German population, reveals that while 97% of respondents in an earlier Parship survey in 2018 considered a long-term affair as cheating, this figure has dropped to 85% in May of 2022. The acceptance of one-night stands has also decreased, from 96% to 82%. The most notable change is in attitudes towards visiting a brothel; in 2016, 91% considered it cheating, but in the current survey, only 67% do.
Germans are also becoming more permissive towards public displays of affection outside of a relationship. In 2018, 81% considered kissing someone else as cheating, but in 2024, this figure has dropped to 57%. However, women tend to view this more negatively than men; 64% of women in the current study consider kissing as cheating, compared to 49% of men.
Similar trends are observed when it comes to using dating apps. In 2018, 87% considered signing up to such apps as cheating, but in May of 2022, this figure has dropped to 63%. Men are generally more relaxed about this, with 55% not considering it cheating, compared to 71% of women who do.
Eric Hegman, Parship's study coordinator, couples therapist, and single coach, suggests that this shift could be due to a growing distinction between emotional and physical loyalty. "It's about trust: 'Are you my priority? Can I rely on you? Will you put our relationship above anything that could jeopardize it?'" he explains. "Couples who discuss their needs in this context often agree that physical involvements in external relationships do not necessarily threaten the trust of a deep emotional bond. They argue that emotional loyalty is their benchmark."
However, the survey results also indicate that younger generations can be stricter in certain areas. For instance, 75% of 18-29 year-olds consider signing up to a dating app to arrange meetings as cheating, compared to 54% of 60-69 year-olds. Similarly, 64% of Generation Z consider secret meetings without sexual contact as cheating, compared to 38% of 60-69 year-olds.
The online survey was conducted in May 2024 on behalf of Parship, with 1,008 Germans aged 18 to 69 questioned about infidelity. The results were compared with a representative study from January 2018, which had 1,025 respondents.
The drop in the percentage of people considering long-term affairs as cheating, as seen in the statistics from the 2018 and 2024 surveys, is one of the notable shifts in attitudes towards infidelity. According to the statistics, the acceptance of one-night stands and visiting a brothel has also decreased over the years.
