Local bachelors are reluctant to tie the knot

ONE out of every three Spaniards is opposed to marriage, and Balearic bachelors are the hardest to lead to the altar, according to a survey by LYCOS Europa, which has electronic portals in eight countries. The survey revealed that more than half of men in the Balearics are reluctant to tie the knot. When it comes to women, those in Cantabria are the most marriage-shy, with 45.5 per cent opposed to the ceremony. The survey was conducted among 25'000 single people in eight countries who answered questions about love, sex and the causes of the breakdown in a relationship. According to 44.8 per cent of the Spaniards consulted, the ideal length of a relationship before marriage is between two and three years. However, 25 per cent of bachelors from Navarre and 26 per cent from Murcia said that they would commit themselves in the first year. Nearly 55 per cent of the Spaniards said that the chief cause of a break-up would be infidelity, while 20 per cent cited jealousy as the most likely cause. As to sex before marriage, 40 per cent of the Spaniards said that they would try to seduce their partner, 19 per cent said that they would not tolerate no sex before marriage and 28 per cent said they would accept it, although they found it old-fashioned.