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Lost in America
It’s easy to predict what men and women will say about stopping and asking for directions. But what does research say?
Let’s face it: Getting lost occasionally while traveling is about as predictable as road construction in summertime. But most of the fun comes when we stop to consider the differences in how men and women respond to getting lost.
It’s not much of a surprise that reseach findings don’t agree any more than couples on the subject. “Men get lost and seek help at about the same rate women do despite, or perhaps because of decades of hearing, ‘Honey, just stop and ask for directions,’” says Jan Coyne of the AAA Geographic Information Systems.
According to the AAA study, men who became lost stopped and asked for directions 34% of the time, compared to women, who stopped 37% of the time.
What??? How can this be? Are women really as reluctant to slow down and pop the question? Well . . . maybe. Remember, this is just one study. And its findings are a far cry from others that have explored the same territory.
For example, a brand new (January, 2007) effort from Harris Interactive “. . . shows that popular stereotypes relating to men, women and their willingness to ask for directions have more than just a grain of truth.”
For example, the study found that nearly two-thirds of men (65%) have been lost while driving. A whopping 68% of that group agreed they would rather try to find their own way before asking for help.
An earlier (2005) study by Harris found that 42% of men are likely to stop for directions when lost. For women, the figure was 61%.
These are among the reasons men cited for not wanting to stop and ask for directions.
- Enjoy the challenge of finding their way (33%)
- Feel embarrassed about getting lost (23%)
- Do not want to lose time (21%)
- Do not have the patience (17%)
The number one reason listed by women for not wanting to stop and ask for help was being uncomfortable talking to a stranger (38%).
It might not matter anyway. The study also found that 45% of U.S. adults were not able to remember directions even when they did stop and ask.