And the most tolerant nation for sex scandals is...

When politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn arrived in France last week, cleared of a New York sex scandal, he returned home smiling despite facing a frosty reception. Maybe he should have gone to Mexico, instead.

Pay attention Anthony Weiner, Tiger Woods, Brett Favre and others caught up in public, sexual indiscretions.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday shows 57 percent of Mexicans would be either very likely or somewhat likely to tolerate the sexual indiscretions of stars and politicians.

They were followed by Belgians at 55 percent. In the United States, the tolerance factor was 48 percent. France, in fact, was way down the list at only 33 percent, while Japan was the least forgiving country at only 28 percent.

In total, 44 percent of some 18,700 respondents in more than 20 countries said they would likely tolerate a scandal.

The Reuters/Ipsos survey also asked if behavior exhibited in sex scandals was reflective of people's true personalities, or if fame and power led them to think they could get away with their acts.

In France, some 80 percent of respondents said fame was the root cause, while Mexico was about equally divided: 49 percent on the side of power and 51 percent on personality.

Throughout all the world, the decision was roughly split with 46 percent saying power and 54 percent citing personal characteristics. In the U.S. the percentages were 43 percent power, 57 personality.

"There is a Jekyll and Hyde issue here, and in some places the behavior is just more acceptable," said John Wright, managing director at Ipsos.

I wonder what that number would have been prior to Bill Clinton?

2 posted on 09/09/2011 8:34:48 PM PDT by volunbeer (Keep the dope, we'll make the change in 2012!)

3 posted on 09/09/2011 9:11:34 PM PDT by Baynative (The penalty for not participating in politics is you will be governed by your inferiors.)

This can't be true. The MSM has been telling us for years that Mexicans have very strong family values - its a Catholic country, after all. (never mind the drugs and gang wars, etc.) Because the Mexicans have strong family values, we should let the Mexicans who come here illegally become citizens... /sarc

4 posted on 09/10/2011 1:54:20 AM PDT by Cowboy Bob (Greed + Envy = Liberalism)

It all depends on how the question was framed. "Sexual indiscretion" can mean different things, depending on the level of expectation people have for powerful men to have affairs.

I expect France was way down the list on tolerating indiscretions because they expect an affair, but not juvenile mismanagement of it.

5 posted on 09/10/2011 2:30:40 AM PDT by Quiller (When you're fighting to survive, there is no "try" -- there is only do, or do not.)

The full poll can be found at www.ipsos.com.

Oh really? Good luck with that. (I tried...)

6 posted on 09/10/2011 3:20:00 AM PDT by Moltke (Always retaliate first.)

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