Nearly half of adults say they would not feel comfortable dating someone who is bisexual.

The news comes from a sex survey carried out for sex toy company Adam and Eve, which polled 1000 adults across the US.

According to the poll, just under half (47%) of those polled said they would not be open to having a relationship with a bisexual individual.

35% of the respondents said they were open to it and 19% said they were undecided.

Of these, more men than women (39% versus 31%) were open to a relationship with a bisexual partner. 23% of the women versus 15% of the men were unsure.

A separate study this week found that despite the resistance, women who do date bisexual men praised the “emotional depth, sexual intimacy and equitable gender dynamic of their mixed-orientation relationship” – with some claiming that they would never be with a heterosexual man again.

Dr Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli from Deakin’s School of Health and Social Development said: “Through this research and book it is my hope that we can stop presenting only the stereotypical story.

“That all bisexual men are untrustworthy and have secret affairs; that all bisexual men transmit HIV and STI to women; that all bisexual men are abusive to their women partners.

“While we found these issues are certainly out there and we don’t shy away from discussing them, we need to lift the stigma for the women who choose to be in relationships with bisexual men and indeed say that bisexual men make better lovers and fathers.

“A common element among all the women in healthy and happy relationships was open communication with their partners as they designed, negotiated and maintained the ground rules and boundaries of their relationships.”

A recent study also found that the more sex bisexual men have the more likely they are to practice it safely.