Are Americans Becoming More Rude
August 8, 2011 11:46 AM 
There is a new Rasmussen Reports poll out that found over three-quarters of all Americans think that we–as a nation–are becoming more rude and less civilized. Having watched the recent debt ceiling debate in Washington where our elected officials resorted to name calling and invective I would have to agree. An example of how we perceive increasing rudeness is that last year 50% of the respondents felt that talking on a cell phone in public or while sitting next to you was rude. This year that number has risen to 57%. There were other interesting findings too.
- 70% of adults say Americans are more rude to sales personnel or people waiting on them than they were 10 years ago, up eight points from last year.
- 61% say sales and service personnel are ruder to customers than they were 10 years ago.
- 58% of Americans say they’ve confronted someone over their rude behavior in public, up seven points from the previous survey.
- 64% of men have confronted someone in public about their rude behavior, while 52% of women have done the same. Americans under the age of 30 are far more inclined to confront someone regarding their behavior compared to their elders.
- Rasmussen Reports
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