But among those who prefer their sandwiches cut into rectangles, only 14% like warm milk.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to prefer your sandwiches cut into rectangles if you both:
would rather fight 100 duck-size horses than one horse-size duck
feel comfortable opening your eyes underwater
NO CORRELATION
People who prefer their sandwiches cut into rectangles are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
say they’d feel cheated out of birthdays if they were born on February 29
study better with frequent breaks
have dandruff
Scouts
33% of people have flown first class.
But among those who have been involved in scouting, 44% have flown first class.
----------------
51% of people say their favorite kind of melon is not watermelon.
But among those who have been involved in scouting, 62% say their favorite kind of melon is not watermelon.
----------------
61% of people have witnessed a meteor shower.
But among those who have been involved in scouting, 72% have witnessed a meteor shower.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to have been involved in scouting if you both:
have square danced
have eaten venison
NO CORRELATION
People who have been involved in scouting are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have step-parents
be double-jointed
prefer Superman over Batman
Sea-Monkeys
31% of people have been to a party that was broken up by the cops.
But among those who have tried to raise Sea-Monkeys, 43% have been to a party that was broken up by the cops.
----------------
58% of people say their middle toe isn’t longer than either adjacent toe.
But among those who have tried to raise Sea-Monkeys, 69% say their middle toe isn’t longer than either adjacent toe.
----------------
31% of people had an imaginary friend when they were a child.
But among those who have tried to raise Sea-Monkeys, 41% had an imaginary friend when they were a child.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to have tried to raise Sea-Monkeys if you both:
have had a urinary tract infection
prefer crushed iced to cubed ice
NO CORRELATION
People who have tried to raise Sea-Monkeys are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
think the world would be better off if people were 10% dumber but 20% kinder
belong to AAA
be bothered by the sight of blood
Security vs. Liberty
26% of people prefer white beans over black beans.
But among those who value security over liberty, 49% prefer white beans.
----------------
32% of people like Steven Tyler more than Liv Tyler.
But among those who value security over liberty, 47% like Steven Tyler more than Liv Tyler.
----------------
49% of people have taken a martial arts class.
But among those who value security over liberty, only 35% have taken a martial arts class.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to value security over liberty if you both:
prefer cover bands with familiar songs to original music with unfamiliar songs
have never voted for a minor party or write-in candidate
NO CORRELATION
People who value security over liberty are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
golf
be more scared of snakes than spiders
prefer Macs over PCs
Sense of Direction
78% of people say they aren’t good at haggling.
But among those who have a bad sense of direction, 90% aren’t good at haggling.
----------------
45% of people say they’d rather have an indoor whirlpool tub than an outdoor hot tub.
But among those who have a bad sense of direction, 57% would rather have an indoor whirlpool tub than an outdoor hot tub.
----------------
61% of people say they remain objective and unbiased, even if it means potentially hurting someone’s feelings.
But among those who have a bad sense of direction, only 50% say they remain objective and unbiased, even if it means potentially hurting someone’s feelings.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to have a bad sense of direction if you both:
are clumsier than the average person
dislike sea scallops
NO CORRELATION
People who have a bad sense of direction are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
want to be cremated
think climate change is caused by man
think it’s OK to text while peeing
Shower Time
25% of people tilt their head to the left when they go in for a kiss.
But among those who prefer to shower in the evening, 42% tilt their head to the left when they go in for a kiss.
----------------
33% of people say that when squeezing past people who are seated, they point their crotch (rather than their butt) toward them.
But among those who prefer to shower in the evening, 46% say that when squeezing past people who are seated, they point their crotch (rather than their butt) toward them.
----------------
43% of people are more interested in foosball than football.
But among those who prefer to shower in the evening, 56% are more interested in foosball than football.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to prefer to shower in the evening if you both:
have never been to a party that was broken up by the cops
prefer okay over OK
NO CORRELATION
People who prefer to shower in the evening are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
be able to spin a basketball on their finger
prefer poetry that rhymes
not want to know the sex of a baby before it’s born
STATISTICS 101:
PRIMING
It’s possible to influence the results of a poll simply by asking questions in a certain order or, in the case of multiple-choice questions, by listing the options in a certain order.
For instance, suppose you are conducting a political poll. You first ask, “What is our country’s greatest problem?” Then you ask, “What is your opinion about the president?” People’s answer to the first question is likely to influence their answer to the second question.
When pollsters intentionally order their questions in this way to influence responses, it’s called priming, and for obvious reasons, it can affect the credibility of the poll.
To avoid any appearance of priming, most reputable polling companies randomize either the question order, the option order, or both.
Single-Sex Schools
81% of people think well-done graffiti is art.
But among those who like the idea of single-sex public schools, only 67% think well-done graffiti is art.
----------------
28% of people have an American Express or Discover credit card.
But among those who like the idea of single-sex public schools, 41% have an American Express or Discover credit card.
----------------
32% of people like country music.
But amo
ng those who like the idea of single-sex public schools, 44% like country music.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to like the idea of single-sex public schools if you both:
believe in objective morality
have a long commute
NO CORRELATION
People who like single-sex public schools are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
like tomato soup
have dated someone they met on a dating website
have extraordinary-sounding hiccups
Skiers
48% of people say they make poorer choices when they’re bored than when they’re stressed.
But among skiers, 69% say they make poorer choices when they’re bored than when they’re stressed.
----------------
52% of people aren’t easily startled.
But among skiers, 73% aren’t easily startled.
----------------
55% of people claim to be good at parallel parking.
But among skiers, 73% claim to be good at parallel parking.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to enjoy skiing if you both:
have ridden on a zip line
think ketchup on eggs is yummy
NO CORRELATION
Skiers are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have done a fast or cleanse to remove toxins
love bad puns
chew gum frequently
Skydiving
53% of people think BASE jumpers are cool.
But among those who are up for skydiving, 71% think BASE jumpers are cool.
----------------
80% of people have used a manual typewriter.
But among those who are up for skydiving, 91% have used a manual typewriter.
----------------
67% of people say their internal clock is pretty accurate.
But among those who are up for skydiving, 77% say their internal clock is pretty accurate.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to be up for skydiving if you both:
like roller coasters
think Halloween is more fun when you’re of legal drinking age than when you’re a kid
NO CORRELATION
People who are up for skydiving are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have broken a bone
smoke
dislike sideburns
Slash vs. the Edge
31% of people are Justin Timberlake fans.
But among those who think the Edge is a better rock guitarist name than Slash, only 16% are Justin Timberlake fans.
----------------
33% of people say their father was absent, estranged, or emotionally distant during their childhood.
But among those who think the Edge is a better rock guitarist name than Slash, only 21% say their father was absent, estranged, or emotionally distant.
----------------
58% of people think old people are cute.
But among those who think the Edge is a better rock guitarist name than Slash, 67% think old people are cute.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to think the Edge is a better rock guitarist name than Slash if you both:
don’t like cotton candy
prefer The Simpsons to South Park
NO CORRELATION
People who think the Edge is a better rock guitarist name than Slash are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have done a fast/cleanse to remove toxins
like guacamole
prefer non-mint gum
Sleep Position
55% of people consider themselves to be patriotic.
But among those who aren’t side sleepers, 72% consider themselves to be patriotic.
----------------
35% of people think that a person should disclose that they are a widow/widower in their online dating profile.
But among those who aren’t side sleepers, 48% think that a person should disclose that they are a widow/widower in their online dating profile.
----------------
56% of people are more interested in football than foosball.
But among those who aren’t side sleepers, 68% are more interested in football than foosball.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to not be a side sleeper if you both:
assume that those without Facebook accounts are weird
prefer a horizontal tire swing rather than a vertical tire swing
NO CORRELATION
People who aren’t side sleepers are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
prefer fame over fortune
have dimples
Smokers
67% of people have excellent credit.
But among those who smoke, only 36% people have excellent credit.
----------------
42% of people have had a poison ivy rash.
But among those who smoke, 70% have had a poison ivy rash.
----------------
41% of people prefer Reese’s Pieces to M&M’s.
But among those who smoke, 66% prefer Reese’s Pieces to M&M’s.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to be a smoker if you both:
are considered the black sheep of your family
think Halloween is more fun when you’re of legal drinking age than when you’re a kid
NO CORRELATION
Smokers are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
suffer from canker sores
prefer a cologne/perfume that evokes spring
say their left hand does most of the work when they applaud
Sneaking In
56% of people never spill things on their keyboard.
But among those who have sneaked into a movie without paying, 75% never spill things on their keyboard.
----------------
40% of people have ridden a pogo stick.
But among those who have sneaked into a movie without paying, 59% have ridden a pogo stick.
----------------
80% of people would rather work four 10-hour shifts a week than five 8-hour shifts.
But among those who have sneaked into a movie without paying, 91% would rather work four 10-hour shifts a week than five 8-hour shifts.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to have sneaked into a movie without paying if you both:
have been on a bar crawl
root for Wile E. Coyote over the Road Runner
NO CORRELATION
People who have sneaked into a movie without paying are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
think Holocaust denial should be illegal
have been attacked by zombies
tend to use dashes rather than slashes to delimit dates (for example, mm-dd-yy)
Soda vs. Pop
29% of people own tie-dyed clothing.
But among those who call cola “pop” rather than “soda,” only 12% own tie-dyed clothing.
----------------
63% of people say they are more familiar with Play-Doh than Plato.
But among those who call cola “pop” rather than “soda,” 77% say they are more familiar with Play-Doh than Plato.
----------------
46% of people say they have a tendency to push their luck.
But among those who call cola “pop” rather than “soda,” only 34% say they have a tendency to push their luck.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to call cola “pop” rather than “soda” if you both:
like lamb
prefer some other kind of bread besides white
NO CORRELATION
People who call cola “pop” rather than “soda” are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
not know how to make a PowerPoint presentation
predominantly chew on the left side of their mouth
dine out frequently
South Park vs. The Simpsons
37% of people would rather save up for an extravagant vacation than do a series of several more modest mini vacations.
But among those who prefer South Park to The Simpsons, 58% would rather save up for an extravagant vacation than do a series of several more modest mini vacations.
----------------
66% of people say they’re more likely to become vegetarian for health reasons than ethical reasons.