NW Poll

PEMCO NW Poll - Northwest residents say they're generous tippers

January 30, 2023 by PEMCO Insurance

According to the latest 2023 PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll, the majority of Portland and Seattle residents regard themselves as “average” or even “generous” tippers when it comes to tipping service workers. The poll finds that over half of respondents believe that individuals should tip anywhere from 15% to 25% when eating at a sit-down restaurant.

Other highlights for the findings: 

  • 84% of respondents claim they tip service workers generously
  • About half of NW restaruant-goers agree that diners should tip at least 15% 
  • About three-quarters of respondents say they prefer to calculate their own gratuity
  • About half of respondents think it's appropriate to tip something when they pick their order up. but 21% say they shouldn't be expected to tip anything. 

Do you consider yourself a “generous” tipper? How much do you regularly tip when eating out, and is that number affected by your experience?

Please think about your attitudes toward tipping service workers. In general, would you typically consider yourself:

Portland Metro  
41 A person who, more often than not, tips very generously
46 A person who typically tips in accordance with generally accepted practices
9 A person who may tip less than what is generally considered acceptable, but it’s still a good enough tip
1 A person who generally doesn’t tip

Have you ever paid for a product or service using point-of-sale technology (like a tablet or hand-held payment machine) that allowed you to select the amount of your tip on the device’s screen?

Portland Metro  
80 Yes
17 No

When you are able to add in a tip while paying with this type of machine, how does using that technology change the way you tip?

Portland Metro  
22 I generally tip more than I otherwise would
72 I generally tip about the same amount
4 I generally tip less than I otherwise would

When you are able to add in a tip while paying with this type of machine, how does using that technology change the way you tip?

Portland  
55+ 55+  
10 11 Tip more
84 82 Tip about the same amount
6 6 Tip less

For what reasons do you generally tip more?

Portland Metro  
51 The technology makes it easier for me to tip
34 The amount of the tip is public—others can easily see how much I’m tipping
30 The technology often calculates the tip for me

When eating out at a restaurant, do you prefer that the restaurant add a standardized tip on your bill, or do you prefer to decide for yourself how much the tip should be?

Portland Metro  
15 I like the restaurant to add the tip onto the bill
78 I prefer to decide on my own what the tip should be
4 I don’t eat out at restaurants

When eating out at a restaurant, do you prefer that the restaurant add a standardized tip on your bill, or do you prefer to decide for yourself how much the tip should be?

Portland  
55+ 55+  
5 7 I like the restaurant to add the tip onto the bill
89 86 I prefer to decide on my own what the tip should be
6 6 I don’t eat out at restaurants

In your opinion, when people eat at a sit-down restaurant, what percentage of the food and beverage bill should they leave as a tip, assuming they had a good experience?

Portland Metro  
9 People shouldn’t be expected to tip anything
7 People should tip 10% or less
19 People should tip at least 10% but less than 15%
29 People should tip at least 15% but less than 20%
26 People should tip at least 20% but less than 25%
3 People should tip at least 25% but less than 30%
2 People should tip 30% or more

When people pick up their own food or use a delivery service, what percentage of the food and beverage bill should they leave as a tip?

Portland Metro  
21 People shouldn’t be expected to tip anything
22 People should tip 10% or less
24 People should tip at least 10% but less than 15%
15 People should tip at least 15% but less than 20%
9 People should tip at least 20% but less than 25%
1 People should tip at least 25% but less than 30%
1 People should tip 30% or more

When people pick up their own food or use a delivery service, what percentage of the food and beverage bill should they leave as a tip?

Portland Metro  
54 Yes
45 No

Do you, personally, ever order take-out food or purchase food using an App like DoorDash, GrubHub, UberEats or PostMates

Portland  
55+ 55+  
16 25 Yes
84 75 No

When you order using a delivery App, how important do you think it is for you to include a tip?

Portland Metro  
37 Extremely important
37 Very important
20 Somewhat important
4 Not too important
3 Not at all important

In general, thinking about whatever App you use most often, do you believe that a tip added when ordering goes directly to the restaurant, directly to the driver, or is it shared?

Portland Metro  
10 Directly to the restaurant
61 Directly to the driver
11 Shared

About the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll

PEMCO Mutual Insurance commissioned this independent survey, conducted by FBK Research of Seattle, that asked Washington and Oregon residents questions about driving habits and attitudes toward current Northwest issues. The sample size, 420 respondents in the Seattle Metro (King, Snohomish, Pierce Counties) region and 418 respondents in the Portland Metro (Multnomah, Marion, Clackamas, Washington Counties) region yields an accuracy of +/- 5.0% respectively at the 95% confidence level. In other words, if this study were conducted 100 times, in 95 instances the data will not vary by more than the associated error range.

Supplemental interviews were conducted with people living in the Seattle metro area, including King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, and those in the Portland metro area, including Clackamas, Marion, Multnomah and Washington counties. The sample size, 578 respondents in the Seattle area and 509 in the Portland area, yields an accuracy of +/- 4.2% and +/- 4.4% respectively at the 95% confidence level.

Share on social media


Comments on this post