FACT CHECK (August 2025):The viral claim circulating across social media that “50% of women have a backup partner” is not based on any new research. In reality, the story traces back to 2014, when British polling company OnePoll allegedly conducted a survey of 1,000 women in the UK. Eleven years later, there is still no record of the study’s methodology or dataset. The only evidence comes from a series of sensational articles in outlets such as CBS News, the Daily Mail UK, and Philadelphia Magazine—all of which cite each other, not the original research.
The claim in 2025:
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The reality:
No peer-reviewed study exists.
The poll, if it occurred, was limited to 1,000 women in the UK.
Extrapolating these results to claim “half of all women” is both false and defamatory.
The story is being recycled in 2025 without any new findings, fueling controversy without context.
The Origins of the Claim
In 2014, OnePoll’s so-called “study” suggested that half of women kept a “Plan B”—a backup man waiting in case their current relationship failed. Married women, the survey claimed, were even more likely to have a fallback partner than those who were dating.
The coverage read like tabloid scandal disguised as science. CBS reported that backups were usually “old friends” known for about seven years, sometimes exes or coworkers. The Daily Mail went further, claiming 12% of women felt more strongly about their backup than about their current partner, and that nearly 70% were still in contact with him. Philadelphia Magazine added a snarky twist, marveling at the idea that some women believed their Plan B would “drop everything” if called upon.
It was juicy, salacious—and statistically meaningless.
The 2025 Revival
Eleven years later, the same narrative has resurfaced across Threads, X, Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, and YouTube. The recycled claim now masquerades as new research, despite the absence of fresh data. Posts frame the story as though it reflects universal truth, with some even suggesting “half of women are cheating or planning to cheat.”
This is misinformation by omission. By leaving out the context—that the claim comes from an old, unverified, and unreplicated poll—today’s viral posts fuel gendered distrust and backlash.
Why It Matters
At its core, the “backup partner” narrative is not harmless gossip. It perpetuates harmful stereotypes: that women are inherently duplicitous, emotionally unfaithful, or constantly seeking better options. Meanwhile, men are framed as unsuspecting victims. The scandal isn’t shaky data—it’s the way misinformation, once planted, is weaponized to pit genders against each other.
What we are witnessing in 2025 is not revelation but repetition: a recycling of outdated, unverified sensationalism. The original poll was questionable; today’s viral posts are worse, stripping away even the flimsy details and presenting speculation as fact.
The Bottom Line
There is no credible scientific evidence proving that half of women keep a “backup man.” What exists is an eleven-year-old, unverified poll of 1,000 UK women—magnified into a global scandal through repetition and clickbait.
The real story isn’t that women are secretly maintaining backup lovers. The real story is how quickly misinformation ages into “fact” when left unchallenged.
Credit/Link: Egoitz Bengoetxea Iguaran/disloyal-girl-looking-to-another-boy.jpg)
