British singles have among most lax sexual morals
18.08.2004 3.23 pm By MAXINE FRITHSingle men and women in Britain have some of the most lax sexual morals in the world, according to an international survey.
We are the most likely to believe it is "normal" for a 30-something person to have had at least ten lovers, and among the least fervent believers in monogamy.
British views on fidelity and sexual liberation put even the French to shame, a poll of more than 10,000 people for the marketing agency Euro RSCH Worldwide found.
Adults from the UK, France, Germany, United States and China were questioned about their sexual mores for the survey. Nearly six out of 10 (59 per cent) Britons said it was normal for a person in their 30s to have had 10 or more lovers during their single years, compared with 30 per cent of French people and 17 per cent of the Chinese respondents.
Only the Americans came close to Britain in the "ten or more" belief, with 52 per cent saying that double figures were acceptable. While more than half of Americans and 70 per cent of Chinese people say monogamy is a natural state for human beings, just 42 per cent of Britons are in favour of fidelity - only Germans, at 40 per cent, are more cynical about the issue.
However, the old cliche about no sex please, we're British, still seems to hold.
Only 63 per cent of men and 47 per cent of women agree that they are entitled to expect regular sex with their partners - the lowest proportions in the world.
More than eight out of 10 men and 75 per cent of women in France say that both genders have the right to intercourse on a regular basis.