Category
What divides people most in Modern Life?
Modern Life holds 27 subjects on this site, with 0 counted ballots between them in the 30 days to 14 Sept 2026. None of them has a reading yet. A reading is published at 10 counted ballots in the last 30 days. Open online vote, self-selected, not a poll.
16 Aug 2026 to 14 Sept 2026 · model v1.0 · 41 outside measurements on file
Most divided first
Ordered by 2 × the smaller of the celebrate and hate shares, which is the board’s own Most divided key. A rank is printed at 100 counted ballots and not before, and two subjects whose counting intervals overlap share one, prefixed “=”.
Nothing in Modern Life has a reading yet, so there is no order to put these in. Every subject is listed below with its count.
No reading yet
These have no reading yet, so no shares, no score and no rank are published for them. A reading is published at 10 counted ballots in the last 30 days.
- Answering The Door When You Are Not Expecting Anyone
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Changing The Bedsheets Every Week
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Cleaning The Bathroom
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Daylight Saving Time
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Eating Dinner In Front Of The TV
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Eating Dinner On The Sofa
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Eating In Bed
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Hanging The Toilet Roll Under
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Hiring A Cleaner
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Leaving The Washing-Up Until Morning
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Open-Plan Offices
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Phones at the Dinner Table
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Phones in the Bathroom
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Phones In The Bedroom
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Scrolling While Watching TV
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Shoes On Indoors
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Small Talk
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Sorting Laundry Into Whites And Colors
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Speakerphone in Public
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Standing Desks
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Taking Out The Trash
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Talking During A Film
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Texting During A Film
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Trips To The Dump
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Washing The Dishes
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Watching At 1.5x Speed
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
- Watching TV At Dinner
No counted ballots yet, yours would be the first
Outside measurements in Modern Life
41 dated measurements published by somebody else about 25 of these subjects, newest first. Every row is quoted as its publisher published it, with a link to the source and the date it was read.
| Subject | Publisher | Field dates | n | Result as published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phones In The Bedroom | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 27 Aug 2026to 30 Aug 2026 | 1,126 | On my bed next to me 26%; Directly next to my bed (such as on a nightstand) 52%; Somewhere else in my bedroom 10%; In another room 10%; Not sure 1%; I don't have a cellphone 1%Asked: When you go to sleep, where do you typically leave your cellphone? |
| Phones In The Bedroom | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 27 Aug 2026to 30 Aug 2026 | 1,126 | Watch TV or a video 60%; Use your phone 52%; Look at social media 40%; Read a book 26%; Listen to music, a podcast, or an audiobook 23%; Work 8%; None of these 4%; Not sure 2%Asked: In the hour before you go to sleep, which of the following, if any, do you usually do? Select all that apply. |
| Hiring A Cleaner | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 30 Apr 2026to 30 Apr 2026 | 5,173 | Very willing 40%; Fairly willing 30%; Fairly unwilling 15%; Very unwilling 9%; Don't know 6%Asked: If money were not an issue, would you be willing or unwilling to hire a person to clean your home on a regular basis? |
| Daylight Saving Time | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-13 | 13 Feb 2026to 19 Feb 2026 | 1,075 | About two-thirds (64%) of Americans say they would like it if clocks no longer changed twice a year. Only 16% say they would not like to see the changing of the clocks eliminated.Asked: Would you like it if clocks no longer changed twice a year? |
| Scrolling While Watching TV | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 11 Feb 2026to 17 Feb 2026 | 2,012 | Always 12%; Often 33%; Sometimes 31%; Rarely 15%; Never 8%Asked: How often, if at all, do you use your cellphone or another device at the same time as you are watching a movie or TV show at home? |
| Scrolling While Watching TV | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 11 Feb 2026to 17 Feb 2026 | 2,012 | "Three-quarters (76%) of Americans say they use their cellphone or another device at least sometimes when they're watching a movie or TV show at home." Among 45-to-64-year-olds, 51% always or often do so, compared with 39% of older adults and 43% of younger viewers.Asked: The write-up of the same survey, reporting the combined 'at least sometimes' figure and the age breakdown. |
| Leaving The Washing-Up Until Morning | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 30 Jan 2026to 30 Jan 2026 | 6,018 | Immediately after dinner time is over 54%; Later that evening, after having done something else for a while 25%; The next day (or later) 13%; Don't know 2%; N/A - I never do this task 6%Asked: After dinner in the evening, when do you typically do the washing up/load the dishwasher? |
| Cleaning The Bathroom | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 17 Oct 2025to 27 Oct 2025 | 2,226 | Love it 4%; Like it 12%; Neutral 31%; Dislike it 30%; Hate it 22%; Not sure 1%Asked: How do you feel about doing the following household tasks? — Cleaning bathrooms |
| Taking Out The Trash | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 17 Oct 2025to 27 Oct 2025 | 2,226 | Love it 5%; Like it 19%; Neutral 48%; Dislike it 17%; Hate it 9%; Not sure 1%Asked: How do you feel about doing the following household tasks? — Taking out the trash |
| Washing The Dishes | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 17 Oct 2025to 27 Oct 2025 | 2,226 | Love it 6%; Like it 21%; Neutral 40%; Dislike it 22%; Hate it 10%; Not sure 1%Asked: How do you feel about doing the following household tasks? — Washing dishes. (The question says "washing dishes" and does not distinguish washing by hand from loading a dishwasher.) |
| Eating In Bed | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 16 Sept 2025to 16 Sept 2025 | 8,644 | Completely acceptable 19%; Somewhat acceptable 36%; Somewhat unacceptable 26%; Completely unacceptable 14%; Don't know 5%Asked: Do you think it is acceptable or unacceptable to eat in bed? |
| Eating In Bed | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 16 Sept 2025to 16 Sept 2025 | 8,644 | Every day 2%; Most days 5%; 2-3 days a week 5%; Once a week 5%; 2-3 times a month 4%; Once a month 4%; Less often than this 27%; Never 46%; Don't know 2%Asked: How often, if ever, do you eat in bed? |
| Trips To The Dump | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 28 Jul 2025to 28 Jul 2025 | 4,311 | Love it 3%; Like it 10%; Neither like nor dislike it 50%; Dislike it 16%; Hate it 12%; Don't know 8%Asked: How much do you like or dislike going to the tip / dump? |
| Phones at the Dinner Table | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 15 Jul 2025to 17 Jul 2025 | 1,148 | Acceptable 19%; Unacceptable 71%; Not sure 11%. Other situations in the same battery: While spending time with a friend - Acceptable 36%, Unacceptable 49%, Not sure 14%; During a date - Acceptable 12%, Unacceptable 79%, Not sure 10%.Asked: Do you think it is acceptable or unacceptable for someone to look at their smartphone in the following situations? - While having dinner with family |
| Phones in the Bathroom | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 15 Jul 2025to 17 Jul 2025 | 1,148 | Acceptable 69%; Unacceptable 22%; Not sure 10%Asked: Do you think it is acceptable or unacceptable for someone to look at their smartphone in the following situations? - While using the bathroom |
| Sorting Laundry Into Whites And Colors | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 2 Jun 2025to 5 Jun 2025 | 1,119 | I do 67%; I do not 32%; Don't know 1%Asked: When doing laundry, do you or do you not typically separate your items into whites and darks or colors? (Asked among people who at least occasionally do their own laundry.) |
| Sorting Laundry Into Whites And Colors | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 2 Jun 2025to 5 Jun 2025 | 1,119 | Do loads regularly, even if there isn't a lot to wash 36%; Save up dirty clothes and wash everything in one burst 62%; Not sure 2%Asked: When doing laundry, are you more likely to...? (Asked among people who at least occasionally do their own laundry.) |
| Phones at the Dinner Table | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 23 May 2025to 26 May 2025 | 1,129 | Never 35%; 1-2 times 34%; 3-4 times 10%; 5-6 times 3%; 7 or more times 6%; Don't know 3%; Not applicable - I don't do this activity 7%Asked: On average, how many times, if at all, do you check your smartphone when you are doing the following activity? - When you are eating a meal with others |
| Eating Dinner In Front Of The TV | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 9 Jan 2025to 13 Jan 2025 | 1,106 | Watch TV 63%; Talk to people I'm with 41%; Look at my phone 28%; Read 8%; Talk on the phone 6%; Work or study 4%; Drive or commute 1%Asked: When you eat dinner, do you typically do any of the following at the same time? Select all that apply. |
| Eating Dinner On The Sofa | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 9 Jan 2025to 13 Jan 2025 | 1,106 | "51% generally eat dinner at the table; 25% usually eat on the couch or in a recliner."Asked: Where in the home, workplace, or school Americans typically eat dinner (question wording not published verbatim in the article). |
| Watching TV At Dinner | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 9 Jan 2025to 13 Jan 2025 | 1,106 | "Most Americans (63%) watch TV while they eat dinner. 41% talk to the people they're with and 28% look at their phone."Asked: What Americans are typically doing while they are eating dinner (multiple response; question wording not published verbatim in the article). |
| Changing The Bedsheets Every Week | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 5 Dec 2024to 5 Dec 2024 | 4,956 | Every day 1%; At least once a week 28%; At least once every two weeks 38%; At least once a month 22%; At least once every three months 5%; Less often than every three months 1%; Never 0%; Don't know 4%Asked: How often, if at all, do you change your bedsheets? (A frequency question, not a question about whether weekly changing is right.) |
| Talking During A Film | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 9 Oct 2024to 12 Oct 2024 | 1,134 | Acceptable 71%; Unacceptable 19%; Not sure 10%Asked: Do you consider it to be generally acceptable or unacceptable for someone watching a movie in a theater to do the following? — Talk in a whisper with someone in the theater |
| Talking During A Film | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 9 Oct 2024to 12 Oct 2024 | 1,134 | Acceptable 11%; Unacceptable 81%; Not sure 8%Asked: Do you consider it to be generally acceptable or unacceptable for someone watching a movie in a theater to do the following? — Talk at a regular volume with someone in the theater |
| Talking During A Film | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 9 Oct 2024to 12 Oct 2024 | 1,134 | Acceptable 65%; Unacceptable 19%; Not sure 15%Asked: Do you consider it to be generally acceptable or unacceptable for a movie theater to do the following? — Have theater staff enforce a no-talking policy |
| Texting During A Film | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 9 Oct 2024to 12 Oct 2024 | 1,134 | Acceptable 36%; Unacceptable 50%; Not sure 13%Asked: Do you consider it to be generally acceptable or unacceptable for someone watching a movie in a theater to do the following? — Text on their phone |
| Texting During A Film | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 9 Oct 2024to 12 Oct 2024 | 1,134 | Acceptable 78%; Unacceptable 14%; Not sure 8%Asked: Do you consider it to be generally acceptable or unacceptable for a movie theater to do the following? — Ban the use of phones during the movie |
| Eating Dinner On The Sofa | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 14 May 2024to 31 May 2024 | 2,054 | At a dining table 45%; On a sofa/armchair 42%; At a desk 4%; On my bed 5%; Somewhere else 2%; Don't know 1%Asked: When you eat your main evening meal at home, where do you tend to eat it? |
| Watching TV At Dinner | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 14 May 2024to 31 May 2024 | 2,054 | Yes 67%; No 32%; Don't know 2%Asked: When you eat your main evening meal at home, are you normally watching something while you do so (e.g., on TV, a laptop, a smartphone, etc.)? |
| Answering The Door When You Are Not Expecting Anyone | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 15 Mar 2024to 10 May 2024 | Not published | "About half of Americans (48%) would answer a stranger at the door"; "A majority of Americans 65 and older (59%) would answer the door if a stranger knocked. However, 23% would ignore the unexpected visitor"; "One-third (34%) say curiosity best describes their reaction to an unexpected knocker, while one-quarter (25%) are annoyed"; 5% say excitement.Asked: Whether you would answer the door if a stranger knocked, and your reaction to an unexpected knock. The article draws on two YouGov Daily Questions surveys — March 15-18, 2024 (35,878 U.S. adults) and May 9-10, 2024 (9,640 U.S. adults) — and does not state which figure came from which survey, so n is left null and the field window spans both. |
| Speakerphone in Public | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 5 Apr 2024to 8 Apr 2024 | 1,216 | "three-fifths of adults (63% and 61% respectively) disapprove of" interacting with someone nearby without informing the caller and making or answering calls on speakerphone in a shared environment. Elsewhere in the same survey: eating or chewing loudly 70% disapprove; calling in crowded places 57%; late-night calls 54%; early-morning calls 50%.Asked: Asked of American adults which behaviours on calls are acceptable or unacceptable, including making or answering calls on speakerphone in a shared environment. The article does not print the verbatim question wording. |
| Watching At 1.5x Speed | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 29 Jun 2023to 5 Jul 2023 | 1,000 | Yes 10%; No, but I might be interested in trying 21%; No, and I would not be interested in trying 59%; Not sure 10%; Not asked - Doesn't watch TV 0%Asked: Have you ever watched TV at a faster than normal speed (e.g., 1.5x)? |
| Shoes On Indoors | CBS News/YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 11 May 2023to 15 May 2023 | 1,181 | "Overall, nearly two in three Americans are 'shoes off' people when it comes to their own homes, while just over a third are 'shoes on' people." "Relatively few Americans require their guests to remove their shoes upon entering their homes. This is even true among most who take their own shoes off at home: two thirds still don't ask guests to remove their shoes when visiting even when they themselves do so."Asked: Question wording is not published in the article; CBS reports respondents as "shoes off" or "shoes on" people in their own homes, and separately on whether they ask guests to remove shoes. Charts carry the exact percentages; the body text reports them in words. |
| Hanging The Toilet Roll Under | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 4 Aug 2022to 19 Sept 2022 | 2,000 | "By 57% to 14%, Americans prefer toilet paper to be hung so that the next sheet comes over, rather than under the roll; 24% say they have no preference."Asked: Toilet paper orientation, reported in an article combining two survey waves (August 4-7 and September 14-19, 2022, 1,000 U.S. adult citizens each). The article does not say which wave carried this question. |
| Small Talk | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-13 | 15 Sept 2022to 19 Sept 2022 | 1,000 | 29% say they like it a lot or somewhat, while 33% say they dislike it a lot or somewhat and 33% neither like nor dislike it.Asked: How much do you like or dislike small talk with people you don't know well? |
| Watching At 1.5x Speed | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 21 Apr 2022to 25 Apr 2022 | 1,000 | Yes 11%; No, but I might be interested in trying 23%; No, and I would not be interested in trying 55%; Not sure 11%Asked: Have you ever watched TV at a faster than normal speed (e.g., 1.5x)? (Asked of those who say they watch TV more often than never) |
| Hanging The Toilet Roll Under | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 22 Feb 2022to 22 Feb 2022 | 27,810 | Over 59%; Under 14%; No preference 21%; Not sure 6%Asked: Do you prefer for toilet paper to be hung so that the next sheet comes from over or under the roll? |
| Shoes On Indoors | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 11 Feb 2022to 14 Feb 2022 | 1,000 | "most Americans (55%) say they will do whatever their host prefers. The remaining 45% are split: half say they prefer to take their shoes off and half say they prefer to leave them on." When hosting: "59% said their guests should do whatever they are most comfortable with. The rest tended to say they preferred guests remove their shoes (24%) rather than leave them on (17%)."Asked: Respondents were asked what they prefer to do about shoes when visiting someone else's home, and what they prefer guests to do in their own home. The article reports the results rather than printing the question wording verbatim. Fielded by YouGov for U.S. News. |
| Shoes On Indoors | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 11 Feb 2022to 14 Feb 2022 | 1,000 | Remove your shoes 22%; Keep them on 23%; Do whichever your host prefers 55%Asked: When you are visiting someone else's home, do you prefer to. . . |
| Shoes On Indoors | YouGovAccessed 2026-09-14 | 11 Feb 2022to 14 Feb 2022 | 1,000 | Take their shoes off 24%; Leave their shoes on 17%; Do whichever they are comfortable with 59%Asked: When you invite guests into your home, do you prefer they. . . |
| Daylight Saving Time | AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs ResearchAccessed 2026-09-13 | 21 Oct 2021to 25 Oct 2021 | 1,083 | Daylight saving all year 32, standard time all year 43, switch back and forth 25, don't know less than 0.5, skipped or refused 1.Asked: Would you prefer to use daylight saving time all year round, standard time all year round, or switch back and forth between them? |
None of these rows is this site’s finding, and none of them is comparable with another. Each is a one-shot measurement by its publisher, on its own question, with its own method, in its own field window. They are gathered here so they can be found in one place, not because they can be added up. Know a measurement that is missing? Send it →
What Modern Life means here
Modern Life on this site is Answering The Door When You Are Not Expecting Anyone, Changing The Bedsheets Every Week, Cleaning The Bathroom, Daylight Saving Time, Eating Dinner In Front Of The TV, Eating Dinner On The Sofa, Eating In Bed, Hanging The Toilet Roll Under, Hiring A Cleaner, Leaving The Washing-Up Until Morning, Open-Plan Offices, Phones at the Dinner Table, Phones in the Bathroom, Phones In The Bedroom, Scrolling While Watching TV, Shoes On Indoors, Small Talk, Sorting Laundry Into Whites And Colors, Speakerphone in Public, Standing Desks, Taking Out The Trash, Talking During A Film, Texting During A Film, Trips To The Dump, Washing The Dishes, Watching At 1.5x Speed, and Watching TV At Dinner. That is the whole of it. A subject is in this category because it was added to the pool with that label, so the list is what the site has asked about rather than a survey of everything the words could cover.
What it is not: a ranking of modern life in general, a product review, or a measurement of anybody who did not vote here. Every figure above counts ballots cast on this site by visitors who chose to cast them, over the 30 days to 14 Sept 2026. A subject with no counted ballots is still listed, with its zero, because leaving it out would make the page read as though the site had never asked.