New poll reveals the percentage of men in the U.S. who sit down to pee

Almost one in four men in the US sit down to pee “every” or “most” of the time. The perhaps surprising finding comes courtesy of a new poll undertaken by the respected British survey company YouGov.

The survey was undertaken following a Guardian article earlier in the year. It explored the different attitudes toward men’s urination habits around the world. It noted Germans have their own slang term for men who sit down when peeing: Sitzpinklers.

Although the term has slightly negative connotations, implying a certain effeminacy, Germany seems to be more encouraging of men sitting down. The issue was highlighted when a German landlord recently took his tenants to court for “splashback” damage to his marble floor.

Prompted by the article, YouGov set out to ask men in 13 different countries whether they stood or sat to pee.

Sitters, please rise

The country to come out on top was, indeed, Germany. Forty percent of men said they always sat down, and 22 percent said “most times”. The rest said “sometimes” or “rarely”, while 10 percent said they “never” sit.

The authors note “Signs telling men to sit down to pee are common in German bathrooms, and standing to urinate is often seen as antisocial behaviour.”

Sweden and Denmark followed Germany with the greatest percentage of men sitting. Then came Canada, where 16 percent said they always sat down, and 19 percent said “most times”. Twenty-one percent said they never sat down.

The US came around halfway down the list of 13 countries: 10 percent of men said they always sat down, and a further 13 said they sat most of the time. Thirty-one percent of US men said they never sat down to pee.

The country most likely to stand was Mexico. Thirty-six percent of men said they never sat to pee, and only 6 percent said they always sat.

Age differences

The study found differences between age groups. In Germany, almost 50% of men over 55 always sit down to pee. However, this trend was reversed in the US, where 35 percent of older men said they never sat down to pee, compared to 21 percent of younger guys.

The study quizzed 7,000 men across the 13 countries between March and April. It asked them about their habits when going for a pee only (i.e. not when they need to pee and poop). You can check the full results here.

In terms of what’s better for you, there is little difference between sitting and standing for most men. However, a 2014 study said that sitting might be better for anyone with prostate enlargement. Such individuals are apparently less likely to experience post-pee dribbles if they pee sitting down.