London’s Infidelity Hotspots

Infidelity; the ultimate betrayal in a relationship can cause tremendous harm to individuals and destroy trust; the most important factor in a relationship, as cited by men and women in a poll by energy provider, E.ON.

In light of recent research and speculation that those living in London tend to cheat more, xpanded.com carried out a survey of 5,212 people on the extent of infidelity in London, comparing rates for different boroughs.

The posh Southwest borough of Kensington and Chelsea ranked top of the cheating charts with 12.1% admitting to have cheated at least once. Sophisticated Islington came a close second, with cheating at 11.6%, and wealthy Hammersmith and Fulham was found to have an average percentage of 11.5% of those who admitted to cheating.

In stark contrast, their research found the bottom three, less-affluent boroughs of Hackney, Haringey and Havering to have cheated less than their wealthy counterparts. Hackney had 4.3% of the population of the borough cheating at least once. Haringey, second from the bottom had a small percentage of 3.2% and Havering was the lowest with 2.6%; admitting to have cheated at least once.

That’s a difference of 9.5% between top of the table Kensington and Chelsea and bottom, Havering.

This points to those with more money being more likely to have an affair. Research backing this claim has found that having status and power provides individuals a heightened ego and a more positive sense of self, believing they are more desirable to others. These individuals could face more temptation and loneliness when working long hours away from their partners, and crave that same adrenaline rush, they often experience in their work.

Those who are wealthier may spend longer hours at the office, even working overtime. Longer working hours, and demanding, stressful work can cause strain on marriages. Rather than facing the long tube journey home, the after office lure of the city and its bright lights offers the chance to unwind after the working day and maybe indulge in some high adrenaline fun with someone else.