36% of adults feel it's okay to snoop through a lover's phone

One third of those surveyed say they feel snooping through a significant other's inbox is acceptable. (iStock) Chances are, you've been tempted to sneak a peak at your partner's smart phone screen at least once. Maybe you've even picked it up and poked through some messages when he or she left the room?

Recent numbers show that you're not alone.

Approximately one third of people who participated in an online survey admitted to having looked through a significant other's email, text messages, Facebook inbox or browser history without permission - and say they feel no guilt about it whatsoever.

Online dating website ourtime.com polled 2000 American adults about their "electronic snooping" behaviour and found that 36 per cent of adults aged 18 to 24 feel the practice is acceptable. Twenty-six per cent of adults over the age of 55 feel the same way.

When broken down by gender, the results of the survey show that more women feel it's okay to snoop through a lover's digital property than men.

A total of 37 per cent of women agreed with a statement that said digital snooping is okay if 'bad behavior' is suspected, while only 29 per cent of men agreed.

What's your take on electronic snooping? Have you looked through a partner's email, cell phone or private social media account, or had someone look through yours? Was it justified or did you feel bad about violating your significant other's trust?

Let us know in the comments below.