Poll: Americans are becoming more rude

Seventy-five percent of adults say Americans are becoming ruder and less civilized, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey published Tuesday. Women under the age of 40 felt the most strongly that behavior is worsening, and just 10 percent said Americans are becoming kinder and gentler.

Several celebrities have made the news recently for their rude behavior, including rap artist Kanye West, tennis player Serena Williams and U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, but adults are evenly divided as to whether this behavior rubs off on the public.

Forty-one percent of those polled said these actions lead to more rude behavior by Americans, but 38 percent disagree, and 21 percent are undecided.

Republicans and independents are evenly divided on the question, but Democrats said rude conduct by public figures leads to more bad behavior by Americans.

The poll also explored how electronic devices are influencing what is considered polite behavior. Fifty-one percent of those polled said it is rude for someone sitting next to you in public to be talking on a cell phone, and 63 percent believe it is rude for someone to text message during a social event.

Out of those polled, women more than men regard both talking on the cell phone publicly and texting at a social event as rude behavior. In both cases, adults ages 40 and over believe this more than younger Americans.

Participants were also asked whether road rage is increasing. Just 8 percent of those polled said road rage is decreasing, and 36 percent said it is increasing.

Those polled were also asked about their reaction to rude behavior. Fifty-one percent of those polled said they have had to confront someone because of his or her rude behavior in public. But 45 percent said they hadn't.

By 11 points, men are more likely than women to have confronted a person who is being rude in public and people aged 18 to 29 are far more likely to speak up than those who are older.

Overall, 69 percent of those polled believe that American society is generally fair and decent. Only 21 percent see society as generally unfair and discriminatory.

The national telephone survey of 1,000 adults was conducted Sept. 15-16. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/-3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.

e-mail: frobinson@desnews.com

75% say Americans are more rude

41% say celebrity rudeness rubs off on public

51% say talking on a cell phone in public is rude

63% say texting at a social event is rude

36% say road rage is increasing

51% have had to confront someone for rude public behavior

69% say society is generally fair and decent

Source: Rasmussen Reports