National Affairs: Meet the Folks

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After ten years of milking the average American of his opinions and then selling them back to him, operators of the Gallup poll plunged into their files to discover the sort of fellow with whom they had been doing business. This week they published the results.

The average U.S. man is 5 ft. 9 in. tall and weighs 158 Ibs. Pace Anita Loos, six out of ten prefer brunettes (a happy choice, since only 8% of U.S. women are natural blondes) and they think— although they are at least half responsible for it—that women get kissed and petted too much before marriage. The average U.S. woman is plumper than she would like to admit—she is 5 ft. 4 in. tall and weighs 132 Ibs. She is more interested in having a good-tempered husband than a faithful one, although she wishes he were more romantic. She believes three children constitute the ideal family, wants no babies until the second year of marriage.

Dogs Preferred. Most of the quarrels between Mr. & Mrs. America are prompted by 1) money, 2) jealousy, and 3) children —in that order. Seven out of ten U.S. adults believe in spanking their offspring. Less than a third of U.S. families say grace at meals. Seven out of ten prefer a dog to a cat as a family pet and only one in 20 keeps a canary. Almost no parents want their sons to go into politics; they are certain that a political career leads to graft and crookedness.

One out of three U.S. citizens complains that his feet hurt. Two out of three adults wear spectacles. One out of five is troubled by a degree of deafness. Two out of ten can't learn to whistle. One-tenth of the population is left-handed and less than a third can remember the numbers on their automobile license plates. One in three has a terrible time getting up in the morning, but only one in five has any difficulty in dropping off to sleep. The average citizen goes to bed at 10 o'clock, gets up at 6:30 six days a week, stays up until 11 on Saturday and snoozes until 8 on Sunday morning.

No Black Cats. Six out of ten U.S. adults drink; the same number smoke. One-half the population thinks Hitler is still alive. Two out of three believe Abraham Lincoln was greater than George Washington. The five living humans most admired by Americans are: General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower,*Winston Churchill, President Harry Truman and Secretary of State George C. Marshall.

Ninety-six percent of Americans believe in God and 76% in life after death. Only 4% are convinced that they are unhappy; 57% think they are fairly happy; 38% consider themselves very happy, and 1% can't tell. Nevertheless, one in three knocks on wood for luck, one in ten believes in throwing spilled salt over his shoulder and one in five shudders when a black cat crosses his path.