National Survey: How Teen Girls Think (for the book For Young Men Only)
[survey title=”National Survey: How Teen Girls Think (for the book For Young Men Only”]
Survey Data as of: 8/27/2007
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”Suppose you had a choice to go out with one of two guys at school that you don’t know very well Guy A or Guy B. Guy A is so good-looking that he could be a magazine model, and he is captain of the football team, but you have heard through the grapevine that ‘he thinks he’s all that.’ Guy B is only average-looking, but you have heard through the grapevine that he’s a nice guy who has a funny sense of humor. Both seem to have quite a few friends, and both are interested in going out with you, but you have to choose only one and not the other. Which one do you choose? {Choose One Answer}”]
[option percent=”9″]Guy A[/option]
[option percent=”91″]Guy B[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”If you secretly want your friends to be jealous about a guy you’ve caught, would you rather they be jealous that he’s a good-looking guy, or just a great guy? {Choose One Answer}”]
[option percent=”23″]I’d rather they be jealous of the fact that he’s good-looking.[/option]
[option percent=”77″]I’d rather they be jealous that he’s such a great guy.[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”Which traits do you find most attractive in a guy? Please rank these in order of your preference from 1 to 12, with 1 being best. Use each number only once. {Choose One Number From Each Drop-Down Box Below}” note=”‘Genuine faith’ averaged in the middle, but among individual girls it often ranked quite high. 16% of girls put it in their top 3, with 8% placing it as the #1 most attractive thing about a guy. And among girls who go to church or synagogue each week, 44% put it in their top 3.”]
| A Group – top 3 traits | Average score between 1 and 12 |
|---|---|
| Sense of humor / makes me laugh | 2.79 |
| Gentlemanly / thoughtful / considerate but not clingy / protective | 3.64 |
| Self-confident (without being arrogant) / willing to be unique / edgy | 4.49 |
| B Group – next top 5 traits | Average score between 1 and 12 |
|---|---|
| Good conversationalist with you and others / socially adept / not painfully shy | 4.81 |
| Adventuresome / spontaneous / unpredictable / fun / carefree attitude / risk-taker | 5.47 |
| Goal-oriented / motivated | 5.79 |
| Attractive face | 6.48 |
| A genuine faith that influences his life | * 7.26 |
| C Group – bottom 4 traits | Average score between 1 and 12 |
|---|---|
| Buff body | 8.43 |
| Athletic | 8.45 |
| Rich | 9.90 |
| Cocky / rule-breaker | 10.48 |
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”How should a guy who is trying to make a good impression on a girl spend his free time? {Choose One Answer}”]
[option percent=”9″]In the gym to improve how he looks.[/option]
[option percent=”91″]In a way that would improve his inner qualities and personality.[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=’Many guys are puzzled why girls sometimes seem to go for the “bad boy.” What personality attributes might be attractive in a “bad boy,” that, (if he also had them), would make a “nice guy” even more attractive to you? {Choose All Correct Answers}’]
[option percent=”96″]”Being self-confident, adventuresome, and having other positive attributes”[/option]
[option percent=”81″]• Self-confident / self-assured[/option] [option percent=”72″]• Adventuresome / spontaneous[/option] [option percent=”63″]• Protective[/option] [option percent=”55″]• Leader that other guys look up to[/option] [option percent=”43″]• Decisive[/option]
[option percent=”75″]”Being edgy”[/option]
[option percent=”46″]• Risk taker / breaks out of the mold / pushes the limits[/option] [option percent=”41″]• Not afraid of anybody[/option] [option percent=”38″]• Edgy / non-conformist[/option] [option percent=”10″]• Smart mouth[/option] [option percent=”9″]• Likes to be the center of attention[/option]
[option percent=”21″]”Being rebellious, cocky, or having other dark attributes”[/option]
[option percent=”16″]• Rebellious / rule breaker / defies authority[/option] [option percent=”9″]• Cocky[/option] [option percent=”5″]• Foul language[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”In which of the following areas, if any, do you feel less than confident, or question how others view you? {Choose All Correct Answers}” note=”The top line of each section shows the percentage of girls who chose one or more of the answers in that section. Percentages do not total 100 percent because girls could choose more than one answer.”]
[option percent=”75″]”Whether I’m liked”
- Whether I’m being talked about behind my back
- Whether the guys I want to like me, do like me
- Whether I’m really liked and accepted for who I am, by friends and acquaintances
- Social status / popularity / how well I fit in
[/option]
[option percent=”72″]”How I look”
- Body image
- Whether I’m pretty
- Clothes / how I dress
[/option]
[option percent=”58″]”Who I am”
- Whether I’m really liked and accepted for who I am, by friends and acquaintances
- Whether I’m valuable and unique as a person
- My skills and abilities
- Intelligence / how I’m doing in school
[/option]
[option percent=”9″]”None of the above; I am confident in all these areas”[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ note=”This question was removed due to data quality/understandability issues”][/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”Many guys believe that there aren’t really rational reasons when a girl’s attitudes, actions or words change from day to day. Which of the following is true of you? {Choose One Answer}”]
[option percent=”87″]In most cases, even if a guy doesn’t see it, there is a reason if I say or do things differently and if my feelings have changed, there’s a reason for that too.[/option]
[option percent=”13″]There’s usually no real reason if I say or do things differently from day to day.[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”Suppose that a guy sees a girl acting one way toward him on Monday, but a completely different way on Tuesday. In your opinion, which of the following is the most likely explanation? {Choose One Answer}”]
[option percent=”3″]There probably isn’t any real reason.[/option]
[option percent=”14″]There is a reason for the change in her behavior, and it probably has something to do with him.[/option]
[option percent=”83″]There is a reason for the change in her behavior, and it may or may not have anything to do with him – it may be that she’s being affected by other things going on in her life.[/option]
[/question]
[question prompt=”Suppose that a guy friend or boyfriend notices that yesterday you were cheerful with him but today you are short with him. Would you want him to approach you and say something like, ‘I know I may not be the brightest bulb on the tree, but it seems like something’s wrong. Can you help me understand what’s going on?’ {Choose one answer}” respondents=”423″] [option percent=”35″]Yes, I would always want him to ask that so I could explain.[/option] [option percent=”59″]Yes, in most cases I would want him to ask that so I could explain, unless there was something I couldn’t be honest about that day.[/option] [option percent=”6″]No. I wouldn’t want him to ask me that. I would want to keep it inside.[/option] [/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=’In that same type of situation, is the following statement true or false? “If I am hesitant to share what is really on my mind, it is sometimes because it might embarrass me or might change how he thinks about me.” {Choose One Answer}’]
[option percent=”79″]True[/option]
[option percent=”21″]False[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=’Do you sense that when you are at “that time of the month” that you sometimes have emotional swings that are out of the ordinary? (i.e., you get more irritated more easily than normal, and you will feel less irritable in a few days) {Choose One Answer}’]
[option percent=”78″]Yes, I may or may not want to admit it, but I probably do feel differently about things when it’s that time of the month.[/option]
[option percent=”22″]No, that time of the month doesn’t really affect me like that.[/option]
[/question]
[question prompt=”Do you think this statement is true for false? ‘Sometimes, when a girl wants a guy to change something, she is only suggesting small adjustments on his part but doesn’t end up being direct with him because she thinks he might overreact to suggestions.’ {Choose one answer}” respondents=”423″] [option percent=”88″]Yes, this is true. A girl may not be completely direct with a guy if she thinks he’ll overreact to small suggestions.[/option] [option percent=”12″]No, this isn’t true. Girls don’t think guys may overreact to suggestions.[/option] [/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”Suppose you’ve been dating a guy for quite some time. You’ve seen him in all different situations, enjoy each other’s company, and have discovered that you’re very compatible. Suppose that sometime later, you start thinking about breaking up with him. Of the following reasons why you might be considering that, what do you think would be the most likely one? {Choose One Answer}”]
[option percent=”24″]I am just falling out of love for no reason, and want to move on.[/option]
[option percent=”16″]There is a reason, and he can’t correct it.[/option]
[option percent=”50″]There is a reason, and if he is willing and able to correct it, the relationship probably will be able to continue.[/option]
[option percent=”10″]I am interested in another guy.[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”Suppose you are breaking up with a nice guy that you’ve been dating for some time. If you had to choose, which would you do? {Choose One Answer}”]
[option percent=”90″]Take some of his pain upon yourself, so he doesn’t feel the pain of the breakup.[/option]
[option percent=”10″]Wave a magic wand and make him disappear, knowing he still has that pain.[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=’If you were to break up with a boyfriend and say to him, “but I still care for you,” what does that most likely mean? {Choose One Answer}’]
[option percent=”11″]”There is no chance for our relationship to be restored, but I’m trying to let you down easy.”[/option]
[option percent=”71″]”There is no chance for our relationship to be restored as boyfriend and girlfriend, but I do have some warm, affectionate (but non-romantic) feelings for you, even if we can’t be together.”[/option]
[option percent=”18″]”I think there is still a chance that we could get back together.”[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”Suppose a guy comes up and wants to initiate a conversation with you. He seems like a nice guy, but he also seems a little shy or uncertain how to approach you. Which of the following are you most likely to be thinking? {Choose One Answer}”]
[option percent=”87″]I actually find it endearing that he considers me so special that he’s a little nervous to talk to me.[/option]
[option percent=”13″]It’s a turn-off – I only want to be approached by a guy who is really sure of himself.[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”Imagine that you’re having a problem with a female friend in your class. If you tell your boyfriend about it, what would be the best way for him to handle it? {Choose One Answer}”]
[option percent=”15″]You tell him your concern and he immediately jumps in with some advice to help you solve the problem.[/option]
[option percent=”16″]He listens to how upset you are about what’s going on, and says something like, “That must have really hurt your feelings. I’m so sorry.”[/option]
[option percent=”69”]He listens to how upset you are about what’s going on, says something like, “That must have really hurt your feelings. I’m so sorry,” and then asks what he can do to help.[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”If you dress in form-fitting clothing that shows off your figure, what would most likely be going through your mind? {Choose One Answer}” note=”Due to rounding, the total slightly exceeds 100 percent.”]
[option percent=”30″]I’m usually hoping for some positive attention and trying to impress a guy (or guys) – I enjoy feeling like guys find me beautiful, and like a person they would want to be around.[/option]
[option percent=”4″]I’m usually hoping guys will be turned on, sexually, want to fantasize about me, and will want to pursue a sexual relationship with me/ I’m saying, “Come and get it.”[/option]
[option percent=”42″]It’s not about a guy’s reaction – I just want to feel good about myself and how I look.[/option]
[option percent=”11″]I wasn’t thinking anything in particular – I’m just wearing what’s in style.[/option]
[option percent=”14″]I never dress that way. This doesn’t apply to me.[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”If a girl and her partner made the move to a sexual relationship, which of the following thoughts or emotions would she be likely to feel? She would be likely to feel…” note=”The top line of each section shows the percentage of girls who chose one or more of the answers in that section. Percentages do not total 100 percent because girls could choose more than one answer.”]
[option percent=”67″]”Positive feelings, such as more love and closeness”
- More love and closeness with him
- More attachment in a loving and free way
- More trust in him
- Assurance that this relationship is really working and likely has a future
- Relief, since she now knows he truly loves her
[/option]
[option percent=”82″]”Negative feelings, such as feeling possessive, insecure, or clingy”
- Worried about losing him/losing the relationship the way it was
- Concerned about what he might be telling others
- Exposed, vulnerable
- More attachment to him in a possessive way
- Possessive and wanting to keep tabs on him
- Regretful
- Like she’s made a mistake and now she has to fix it
- That he now owes her something (like greater commitment, loyalty, “reporting in” on where he is and what he’s doing, etc.)
- More controlling, like she needs to make sure he treats her right
- Unworthy or dirty
- She wants to make him into the person she really needs
[/option]
[option percent=”5″]”No different than before”[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”Do you think girls’ respect and trust for a guy they are dating goes up or down if he starts vigorously pursuing a sexual relationship? {Choose One Answer}”]
[option percent=”8″]A girl’s trust and respect for the guy goes up[/option]
[option percent=”77″]A girl’s trust and respect for the guy goes down[/option]
[option percent=”15″]A girl’s trust and respect for the guy wouldn’t really change[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=’Many people joke that boys “only think about one thing.” This question is designed to determine whether girls think about and want that one thing as much as boys do. In your experience, if a girl and her boyfriend make out from time to time, but have not made the move to a sexual relationship, do you think the girl thinks about and physically wants sex with him as much as he probably does with her? {Choose One Answer}’]
[option percent=”46″]Yes, I think in that situation, she’s wanting to go to bed with him as much as he wants it (whether or not she actually does go to bed with him).[/option]
[option percent=”42″]No, I think it’s probably the guy that most wants the relationship to progress to actual sex. Most girls would be fine with continuing to make out, without crossing that line.[/option]
[option percent=”12″]No, I think it’s probably only the guy that wants the relationship to progress to actual sex, and she actively doesn’t want to cross that line (even if she enjoys making out).[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”If you are in a make-out situation in a relationship that hasn’t moved to sex, is something in you hoping that he will not try to go all the way? {Choose One Answer}”]
[option percent=”75″]Yes[/option]
[option percent=”25″]No[/option]
[/question]
[question respondents=”423″ prompt=”Many guys look confident but are uncertain of themselves, especially when it comes to girls. If you could give these guys one piece of advice—advice about how to think about girls and themselves—what would it be?”]
Click here to see their actual responses.
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[/survey]