The 5 Most Fun Surveys of the Month

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The recession hasn’t hurt one business: pollsters. Every day, someone is asking Americans what they think about something. And the questions can get really strange.

Money Talks News regularly peruses the nation’s surveys looking for news that can save you money. (See today’s 6 Tips for Safer Pet Travel). But sometimes, we run across a few that aren’t worth a full write-up – but are worth a laugh…

1. Americans like dirty talk…

Let’s get personal: “80 percent of those polled admitted they engage in naughty word play during sex,” says a survey of 1,000 adults sponsored by Adam & Eve, which sells sex toys online. “Of the 20 percent who do not partake of dirty talk, 18 percent said they never engage in sexy talk and 2 percent preferred not to answer.” The most surprising number: Only 2 percent wouldn’t answer the question. We thought that would be higher.

2. …but they don’t like clean hands

Then again, the third annual Healthy Hand Washing Survey reveals, “Americans said they wash up 90 percent of the time after using a public restroom – that’s up from 87 percent in the 2009 Handwashing Survey.” Still, that means 10 percent admitted to a pollster they didn’t wash their hands. Hope it was a phone survey and not in person – that would be an awkward handshake.

3. Women do more parenting…

“Equality in parenting is still a pipe dream,” declares the Moms Who Do More National Report. “Nearly half (48 percent) of working moms say they spend more time each day parenting than on their careers, more than double that of working dads (19 percent).” So what, you say? That means Mom is spending 1,150 more hours per year on child-rearing than Dad.

4. …and men are happier

Given the survey above, it’s probably no surprise that, “When it comes to extreme happiness (in the office and at home), men are consistently happier than women.” Or so says Captivate Office Pulse Survey [PDF]. “Men are 25 percent happier at work than women – 8 percent happier at home – and 75 percent of them report being able to balance their work and personal lives.” Yeah, because Mom is spending 1,150 more hours with the kids.

5. You can teach an old dog new tricks

A survey of dog trainers reveals, “Senior dogs were easier to train than the average dog in terms of time and effort.” And which breeds were the easiest to train? “Golden retrievers, pit bulls (commonly targeted by breed-bans), and poodles. Conversely, popular family breeds — Labradors, bulldogs, and beagles — were found to require the most time and effort to train.”

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