Although the majority of Americans say it is unacceptable, nearly one in four married adults stillcheat ontheir spouses.

But what constitutes being unfaithful differs among men and women, according to a new survey.

Most people questioned in the poll agree physical contact -- including kissing someone other than your partner -- means you are cheating. But 77 percent of women also think using the Internet for online sexual talk or cavorting in front of a Webcam is also cheating, compared to only 57 percent of men.

"We've always had theinside scoopabout what's on the minds of women, especially when it comes to relationships, said Deborah Fine, president of iVillage Inc, a media firm dedicated to women.

"This new survey gives us a closer look at how both men and women feel about the topic of fidelity," she added in a statement.

Nearly three-quarters of women also feel sending flirtatious emails is cheating, as opposed to 53 percent of men.

According to the online survey of 70,288 people, the most common cheating partners are friends and co-workers. Money is also an element in deceitful behavior because the higher a man's salary the more likely it is that he will be unfaithful.

But the same does not apply to women.

Men said they usually strayed because they wanted more sex, while women sought emotional attention.

The survey also revealed that many partners will try to find out if their spouse isstraying.

Eighty-three percent of people questioned in the poll said they would try to trick them into confessing, 63 percent would pay for a private detective and more than half said they would have no qualms about checking emails and telephone logs.

But when people do have affairs they are usually brief. Nearly 30 percent last a week or less and 47 percent are done within a month.

Those who do cheat rarely get caught, only about 30 percent or less, according to the survey. And just 13 percent confess to their misdeeds.

尽管大多数美国人认为对伴侣不忠不可接受，但却有近四分之一的已婚人士仍然这样做。

然而，据一项最新调查显示，男性和女性对“不忠”的理解有所不同。

大多数受访者认为与伴侣以外的其他人接吻等身体接触是一种不忠的表现。但77%的女性认为，在网上互相聊一些下流的话题或通过网络摄像头打情骂俏也是不忠的表现，而持此观点的男性只有57%。

iVillage女性媒体公司的总裁黛博拉·范恩说，“我们总能掌握女性的一些隐秘想法，尤其在两性关系方面。”

她在一份声明中说：“这项新调查则针对忠贞这一问题对男性和女性的想法进行了更为深入的了解。”

此外，近四分之三的女性觉得发调情的电子邮件也是不忠，持此看法的男性比例为53%。

据此项对70288人进行的在线调查显示，朋友和同事最易成为“拈花惹草”的对象。金钱也是不忠行为发生的一个因素，因为男人的收入越高，越轨的可能性会越大。

但这个“理论”并不适合女性。

男人说他们越轨是因为性需求；女人则说她们则是为了寻求情感上的呵护。

此外，调查显示，很多人表示他们会查明配偶是否有越轨行为。

83%的受访者表示他们会采取一些小手段，“诱使”对方坦白；63%的人则表示会去找一个私家侦探；一半以上的人说他们会去查对方的电子邮件和电话记录。

但是真正有越轨行为的人通常会速战速决。近30%的人持续一周或不到一周的时间，47%的人则在一个月内就完事。

调查显示，有不忠行为的人很少被抓个现形，只有30%或更少的人遭遇过此尴尬。仅有13%的人向伴侣坦白过自己的错误行为。