PRESS RELEASE: OnePoll (Sorry)
Written: Thursday 18th February, 2010
THE HARDEST WORD?
Researchers have discovered that 'sorry' isn't the hardest word to say - because three quarters of people rarely mean it.
Seven out of ten people are not being honest when they apologise and simply say sorry to avoid confrontation or end an argument.
It also emerged women are more likely to apologise at work while, tellingly, men say sorry more often at home.
Women are worse than men when it comes to apologising when they don't mean it - and they also find it harder to say sorry after a row.
Yesterday a spokesman for www.OnePoll.com, which carried out the poll of 4,000 adults, said: ''Sorry can be a hard word for many people to say, especially if you are convinced you are in the right.
''When you are sure you haven't done anything wrong, saying sorry is often the last thing you want to say.
''But it can really help sort out a disagreement or argument and help things go back to how they were before.
''However, it seems many people have realised this and are saying sorry, even when they don't mean it.''
The research also seems to prove 'sorry' is no longer the hardest word - because the average adult now apologises eight times EVERY DAY.
Treading on toes on the tube or upsetting another motorist on the way home also often results in the use of the S-word.
Spats at home with the other half account for the rest of the daily apologies, the study found.
One in three people said they found it difficult to say 'sorry' even when they felt it was appropriate to do so.
Just over 50 per cent of people said they apologised more frequently at work than at home and their partner was the most likely recipient of the 'sorry'.
A colleague came second, a stranger was third and a friend was fourth. The boss completed the top five.
More than half said they found it hard to say sorry after an argument and one in four said they would rather carry on an argument than apologise.
Seven out of ten even went as far as to say they found it easier to apologise to a stranger than someone they knew.
Nine out of ten people said they felt others should be more ready to apologise when they messed up and
The study found women apologise more often than men, saying sorry round ten times a day while men apologise six times.
And it also emerged women are far more likely to apologise if they are in the wrong.
TOP TEN REASONS FOR SAYING SORRY
1. Bumping into someone in the street
2. Making a mistake at work
3. After a row with a partner
4. After a row with a friend
5. After a row with a relative
6. Missing a phone call
7. Missing someone out of the tea round at work
8. Talking over someone
9. Interrupting a conversation
10. Being late for work
Research conducted by global market research company www.onepoll.com
- Bookmark:
- Del.icio.us
- Digg
- StumbleUpon
