A quarter of Australians have busted their cheating partners because of text messages, according to new research.

According to the Telstra State of the Nation survey of 1201 respondents, Queenslanders are the worst offenders with 27 per cent reporting they have discovered cheating partners compared with the national average of 22 per cent.

Men were reported as the worst SMS cheaters, with 26 per cent of women finding saucy text messages on their partners' phones compared to 16 per cent of men.

Close to half of "Generation Y" respondents have busted cheating partners by discovering raunchy SMSs, compared to 34 per cent of those aged between 24 and 35.

SMS cheaters were more common in metropolitan areas (24 per cent) compared to those in regional Australia (17 percent).

About 27 per cent of West Australians admit to having sent intimate messages to the wrong people, compared to the national average of 20 per cent.

Only 16 per cent of NSW residents admit to sending SMSs for lovers to the wrong recipients.

More than half of Generation Y respondents would rather text than meet in person or make a phone call, according to the report.

A quarter of the 18 to 24 year old age group send more than 10 text messages a day, over the Australian average of one to five SMSs.

Half of women surveyed reported they use mobile phones to “look busy”, compared to 39 per cent of men.

A third of respondents admit to texting in the cinema, followed by business meetings, funerals and weddings, and in church.

Social researcher and futurist Mark McCrindle said in a Telstra statement the report reflects the general lifestyles of Australians.

“The fact that one in three prefer texting to other communication forms signals the natural fit of this technology to our increasingly time poor, busy lifestyles,” McCrindle said.