A recent study has found that Republicans, especially religious conservatives, are less likely to engage in marital infidelity than Democrats. This defies what you read in the mainstream media where every republican sex scandal is massively boosted. Understandably, you might think that Conservatives cheat more. However, reality looks much different than what you may read in the headlines.
Brad Wilcox, the author of this study and fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, says this is an important issue. Cheating “exacts a serious toll on marital quality,” he goes on that “because, regardless of the state of the marriage before the adultery, breaking the fidelity norm ushers in thoughts and feelings of betrayal, distrust, and anger—not to mention worries about abandonment.” Infidelity is one of the best predictors of divorce. The data on this issue highly depends on both party allegiance and religious involvement.
The research finds that men are more likely to have affairs than women. 20% of men and only 13% of women “reported that they’ve had sex with someone other than their spouse while married.” But even among men, there are large differences between political groups. Not only are Democrats more accepting of extramarital relationships, but republican men are the least likely to cheat of any group.
Since the Democratic Party lurched hard to the left, a large minority of Democrats have embraced increasingly far-left views on relationships. Polyamory and other wacky trends have surged in popularity among Democrats. Unsurprisingly, these shifting morals have affected how democrats view marriage. 10 years ago, 75% of married male democrats believed that it was “always wrong” to pursue a relationship while married. Now it’s 50%. These results are sharply different from what Republicans report.
When asked the same question, republicans remain stalwart. A decade ago, when asked the same question, 80% of married republican men said it was “always wrong” to cheat on your spouse. That number has remained the same over time. More importantly, conservative men are also much less likely to report engaging in infidelity at all.
13% of married Republican married men (ages 18-55) report extramarital sex. However, democrats in the same age demographic admit to affairs in 18% of marriages. This means that progressives are 5% more likely to engage in affairs than republican husbands. However, even within Republican circles, some populations are more faithful than others in marriage.
Many republicans identify as ‘fiscally conservative but socially liberal.’ Many of these people would self-describe as anti-woke but not as social conservatives. Religious republicans are much more likely to disapprove of extramarital sex. Among those who attend religious service more than once a month, 90% say that affairs are always wrong.
Among more secular Republicans, the rate is only 74%. Among those who self-describe as republican, 46% attend church services frequently. Non-religious republicans are much closer to their democratic counterparts. The study indicates that 15% of irreligious republicans are involved in romantic affairs. This is significantly higher than the 10% rate among regular church attendees. According to this study, attending church regularly is just as important as party loyalty.