A study claims that married men of democratic persuasion are increasingly tolerant of infidelity.

A recent study found that Republican men are more likely to have stricter views on infidelity in marriage and are less likely to confess to extramarital affairs than Democratic men.

"Despite what media headlines may suggest, research shows that Republican men are less likely to cheat than other men, according to Brad Wilcox, a sociology professor and fellow at the Institute for Family Studies (IFS). This could be due to the fact that Democrats have become more accepting of extramarital sex in recent years, he notes."

According to the General Social Survey (GSS), a nationally representative survey of adults in the United States conducted since 1972, Wilcox's claim is based on data about moral beliefs about marriage fidelity held by Democratic and Republican men who were married or had ever been married, between the ages of 18-55. Researchers at IFS used GSS data to determine any trends in these beliefs.

Over the past decade, there has been a decrease in fidelity standards among Democratic men in this particular group, according to their research.

From 2010 to 2014, three-quarters of Democratic men (76%) believed extramarital sex was "always wrong." However, from 2016 to 2022, just over half of Democratic men (53%) held the same view.

Over the same time period, Republican men's attitudes towards marriage fidelity have remained consistent, with four out of five Republican married men adhering to the traditional norm of being faithful in their marriages, according to Wilcox.

Stricter views about being faithful in marriage were held by men who identified as religious compared to their peers.

According to the GSS (2010-2022), 90% of Republican ever-married men aged 18-55 who attend religious services once a month or more believe extramarital affairs are always wrong, while only 74% of non-religious ever-married Republicans support the classic fidelity norm.

According to IFS's review of 2022 data, men who regularly attend religious services and are Democrats were more likely to take a hard-line stance against infidelity in marriage than secular Democratic men.

The two groups had varying opinions regarding reports of infidelity within their own marriages.

According to IFS, among the married or once-married men surveyed from 2010-2022, 18% of Democrats admitted to having had extramarital sex, while 13% of Republicans did the same.

Reports of cheating on spouses were lower among religious Republican men.

Wilcox found that 15% of secular Republicans and 10% of religious Republicans engaged in extramarital sex.

According to IFS, there was no statistically significant difference between religious and secular Democratic men in reports of cheating from 2010-2022, as explained to Planet Chronicle Digital.