A new survey by Swansea University in the United Kingdom has found that a third of men and one in 10 women are open to having more than one romantic partner at the same time. The study involved 393 heterosexual men and women, surveying them on their varying levels of "openness" to these arrangements. Approximately 33 percent of men in the United Kingdom expressed their willingness to consider the idea of having one or more wife or long-time girlfriend in a committed relationship if it were legal and consensual. On the other hand, 11 percent of women expressed their interest in the same concept along with polygamous marriage.

The researchers examined two specific types of relationship models. Polygyny, where a man has multiple wives, and polyandry, where a woman has multiple husbands. The survey found that nine percent of men would be willing to share their partner while only five percent of women were willing to do so. “Comparing polygyny and polyandry directly, men were three-and-a-half times more likely to say ‘yes’ to the former than the latter, while women were twice as likely to say ‘yes’ to having more than one partner, compared to the idea of sharing their partner with someone else,” says study lead author Dr. Andrew Thomas in a university release. In the United Kingdom, these relationship practices are not legally recognized or even accepted in mainstream culture. “Committed non-monogamy has received a lot of attention recently. It’s a hot trend with more and more couples talking about opening up their relationships to include other people,” says Dr. Thomas. “However, these types of relationships are far from new.”

While most people seek out monogamous relationships, the survey found that a surprising amount of people would consider non-monogamous relationships even if they are not prohibited by law in their country.