PEMCO NW Poll - Northwest residents say they're generous tippers
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:
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | 41 | A person who, more often than not, tips very generously |
| 48 | 46 | A person who typically tips in accordance with generally accepted practices |
| 11 | 9 | A person who may tip less than what is generally considered acceptable, but it’s still a good enough tip |
| 3 | 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?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 77 | 80 | Yes |
| 19 | 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?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | 22 | I generally tip more than I otherwise would |
| 68 | 72 | I generally tip about the same amount |
| 8 | 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?
| Seattle | Portland | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 55 | 55+ | < 55 | 55+ | |
| 28 | 10 | 27 | 11 | Tip more |
| 62 | 84 | 69 | 82 | Tip about the same amount |
| 8 | 6 | 3 | 6 | Tip less |
For what reasons do you generally tip more?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | 51 | The technology makes it easier for me to tip |
| 43 | 34 | The amount of the tip is public—others can easily see how much I’m tipping |
| 31 | 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?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 15 | I like the restaurant to add the tip onto the bill |
| 77 | 78 | I prefer to decide on my own what the tip should be |
| 3 | 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?
| Seattle | Portland | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 55 | 55+ | < 55 | 55+ | |
| 24 | 5 | 19 | 7 | I like the restaurant to add the tip onto the bill |
| 72 | 89 | 75 | 86 | I prefer to decide on my own what the tip should be |
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 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?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | 9 | People shouldn’t be expected to tip anything |
| 8 | 7 | People should tip 10% or less |
| 19 | 19 | People should tip at least 10% but less than 15% |
| 31 | 29 | People should tip at least 15% but less than 20% |
| 20 | 26 | People should tip at least 20% but less than 25% |
| 4 | 3 | People should tip at least 25% but less than 30% |
| 1 | 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?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | 21 | People shouldn’t be expected to tip anything |
| 20 | 22 | People should tip 10% or less |
| 26 | 24 | People should tip at least 10% but less than 15% |
| 17 | 15 | People should tip at least 15% but less than 20% |
| 6 | 9 | People should tip at least 20% but less than 25% |
| 2 | 1 | People should tip at least 25% but less than 30% |
| 0 | 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?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | 54 | Yes |
| 48 | 45 | No |
Do you, personally, ever order take-out food or purchase food using an App like DoorDash, GrubHub, UberEats or PostMates
| Seattle | Portland | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 55 | 55+ | < 55 | 55+ | |
| 65 | 16 | 67 | 25 | Yes |
| 33 | 84 | 32 | 75 | No |
When you order using a delivery App, how important do you think it is for you to include a tip?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | 37 | Extremely important |
| 36 | 37 | Very important |
| 22 | 20 | Somewhat important |
| 5 | 4 | Not too important |
| 4 | 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?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | 10 | Directly to the restaurant |
| 62 | 61 | Directly to the driver |
| 13 | 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.
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