In France, the free couple is attracting more and more – Liberation

Fewer limits and more pleasure. An Ifop survey unveiled this Wednesday, April 23 exclusively by Release reveals that, even if the traditional couple remains the norm, alternative relationships are gaining momentum. And in particular the « free couple » which puts exclusive to the closet in favor of sexual adventures with other people.

If it remains marginal, this model still seems to gain momentum. In 2017, only 1 % of interviewees declared themselves as a free couple. Today they are 5 %. And much more (15 %) to have already been concerned once in their lifetime, without it being always the case during the study – carried out from March to April 2025 (1), in partnership with Gleeden, an extramarital dating site. A figure that climbs significantly (23 %) among Parisians.

« The free couple is something more valued socially in progressive circles », especially perceived as « A symptom of the postage of standards », Analysis The head of the survey, François Kraus. This partly explains the role of the sexual orientation of partners in the responses: almost two homosexual or bisexual men in ten declares « open » their couple, four times more than heterosexuals. In women, the gap is less important, but also exists: they are 8 % of lesbian or bisexual women in free relationship, compared to 3 % of hetero women.

It is more or less the same observation in