A prominent Chinese doctor pointed out that 'the proportion of people having affairs (extramarital sexual relations) in China exceeds that of developed countries,' drawing significant attention.

Mr. Li Qingchen, a cardiac surgeon at Harbin Children's Hospital and a writer who popularizes scientific knowledge, posted on his Weibo account, a Chinese SNS, on the 27th that 'the proportion of extramarital sexual relations in China has reached the same level as many developed countries, or has already exceeded it.'

According to what Mr. Li shared, a study by Renmin University of China found that the percentage of Chinese men who reported having had extramarital sexual relations was 11.8% in 2000 but rose to 34.0% in 2015. Additionally, a 2020 study by Fudan University reported that 35% of married men and 26% of married women responded that they had experienced extramarital sexual relations.

On the other hand, regarding the United States, although approximately 20% of married men reported having experienced extramarital sexual relations in 2016, the figure is said to be on a declining trend, at 14% in 2018 and 13% in 2021-2022.

In response to this, the comment that garnered the most likes (over 7,000) from Chinese internet users was: 'I asked a friend who studies sociology, and they said this (Chinese) data is clearly an understatement.' Additionally, one user commented, 'I think it's at least over half. Everyone lives long now, and I think it's difficult to be a (sexual) partner with the same person for decades.'

Furthermore, comments such as, 'I'm surprised America is so low,' 'Americans party a lot before marriage and get married once they've had enough fun. We are restricted from doing this and that before marriage, and then after marriage, we look back and think, "I haven't experienced anything in life. So, maybe an affair?"' 'Between being modest before marriage and open after marriage, versus being open before marriage and modest after marriage, which one aligns better with human values?' and 'People without religious faith or principles would probably follow their animal instincts more,' were also received.

In addition to this, opinions such as, 'This is just the number of people who admitted it,' 'The important thing is that these figures are from self-reports. What would happen if we included those who keep silent...?' 'This is because the punishment for infidelity is too light, or some people are not punished at all,' and 'Such things cannot be bound by law. We can only rely on (religious) faith and self-discipline,' were also seen. (Translation/Editing by Kitada)