PITTSBURGH, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to controlling the home thermostat, it's clearly a battle of the sexes. As temperatures dropped across most of the country in February, advertising agency MARC USA surveyed men and women in 800 households to find out who controls the inside temperature. The survey was conducted by OpinionZone(TM), the agency's online research panel. When asked about adjusting the thermostat at home, 62% said that one partner is in control. However, who controls the dial depends in some degree on whom you ask, explains Karen Leitze, SVP/ Director of Research and Strategic Planning. While 70% of women report that they control the home thermostat, 56% of men say they are in charge. "Control may be a matter of perception," Leitze adds. To find out what control actually means, respondents were asked what they would do if their partner/spouse made it too warm or too cold. While 89% of all respondents said they would take some action, more than one-third of men (35%) said they would suggest a change or ask permission of their spouse/partner before touching the dial. Temperature control is more clear-cut with women as 80% report they would just change the temperature without consulting their spouse/partner. It's no wonder some men think they're in control, but their spouses/partners think differently. How important is thermostat control? More than two-thirds of respondents (67%) say they and their spouse/partner differ on a comfortable home temperature. When spouses/partners have differing temperature preferences, who is more likely to raise the thermostat? Gender and age are both factors in who likes it hotter or cooler. With younger respondents (ages 21-44), four out of five men (79%) said they prefer it cooler than their spouses/partners. Younger women generally agreed with 60% saying they prefer it warmer than their spouses/partners. However, for all respondents age 45 and up, there was just about a 50/50 split on which partner/spouse wants it warmer or cooler. It seems that women become more tolerant of cooler temperatures as they age or maybe men feel the cold more as they get older. Perhaps both are true. Is it hot flashes for women? Are men less macho about the cold as they age? Do these feelings about heat and cold hold true when it's warm outside? MARC USA will find out when temperatures hit 90 degrees this summer.
