Report · Culture

Betrayal is rarely expected in close relationships

Reading

In a Verasight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted May 11, 2026, 49% of Americans said they rarely or never expect betrayal in close relationships. Including 28% who said rarely and 21% who said never.

Nearly half said they expect betrayal at least sometimes (46%), with 30% who said sometimes, 9% who said often, and 7% who said almost always. Another 5% said they were not sure.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

49% of Americans rarely or never expect betrayal in close relationships.

How often do you expect betrayal in close relationships?

  • Sometimes 29.5%
  • Rarely 27.9%
  • Never 20.6%
  • Often 9.4%
  • Almost always 7.1%
  • Not sure 5.4%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.3%

society

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-05-11 → 2026-05-11
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.3%
Module
society

Source

  • 01
    Betrayal is rarely expected in close relationshipsreports.verasight.io/reports/spsp26

Citation

Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.

https://reports.verasight.io/reports/spsp26#q-society-9

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. Each wave's specific field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that wave's report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
Every wave is published as a standalone report at verasight.io/reports with full instrument and methodology.
Transparency
AAPOR transparency standards.

Wave-specific methodology, full weighting variable lists, and verbatim instrument text live in each report at verasight.io/reports.