Majority of Americans say they tip 15% or less at sit-down restaurants, poll finds

To tip or not to tip? That is the question Americans say they are increasingly facing in restaurants, bars and other settings with service workers.

A majority of U.S. adults, 72%, said tipping is expected more so today than it was five years ago, according to a survey released Nov. 9 from the Pew Research Center.

The survey questioned around 12,000 Americans adults in August and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.

Despite the reported increase in tip requests, most Americans aren’t sure when it’s appropriate or how much money they should spend on gratuities, according to the survey.

Only 35% of respondents said knowing whether to tip was extremely or very easy, while 59% said it was only somewhat easy or not too easy.

Fifty-nine percent of respondents said knowing how much to tip was not too or not at all easy, while 33% said it was extremely or very easy.

When it comes to suggested tip amounts, nearly twice as many Americans, 40%, opposed them compared to those in favor, 24%.

Reported tip amounts also varied greatly depending on the service. The majority of respondents, 65%, said they always tip when getting a haircut, while about half, 53%, said the same for buying a drink at a bar. Only 12% said they habitually tip at coffee shops.

The overwhelming majority, 81% of respondents said they always leave tips at restaurants, though the proper tip size was a subject of disagreement.

When sitting down for a meal at a restaurant, 57% of Americans said they would tip a maximum of 15%, while one-quarter said that they would tip 20% or more.

The poll follows a June Bank Rate survey, which found 66% of Americans have a “negative view of tipping.”

It also comes as almost 80% of American consumers are tightening their belts and cutting back on non-essential spending, according to CNBC, citing a June Morning Consult survey.

This story was originally published November 9, 2023 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Majority of Americans say they tip 15% or less at sit-down restaurants, poll finds."