6:10pm UK, Tuesday August 17, 2004

Britons are amongst the most promiscuous people in the world, according to a new survey.

They engage in - and are among the most tolerant of - sexually adventurous behaviour.

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Britons enjoy plently of lovers

Nearly six in 10 Brits surveyed said it was normal for a person in their 30s to have had 10 or more lovers during their single years.

Fewer than half of the 2,127 Britons surveyed believed that staying faithful to one partner was "natural", in the study by Europe RSCG Worldwide.

Only 42% said monogamy was "the natural state for human beings".

The survey, released in New York, found that British women may be more tolerant of extra-marital affairs than others around the world.

More than one in 10 - 11% - of both men and women in Britain said they were tolerant of affairs which "cause pain to neither party".When asked about previous lovers, the Chinese were the most conservative, with just 17% saying it was acceptable to have a long list of ex-lovers.

More than 50% of Germans and 49% of Americans said it was acceptable to have a double-digit number of former partners.

The Germans agreed with the Brits on monogamy, with only 40% believing in a partner for life.

Despite having active sex lives before marriage, Brits are more likely to calm down a bit when they get hitched.

Some 63% of British men believe they have the right to regular sex, compared to 47% of women.

In the US the comparison is 76% men to 62% women while in France the gap is narrower, 85% to 76%.

The gap is much narrower in China and Germany with 82% to 81% and 79% to 77% respectively.