7 Public Behaviors Older Ohioans Are More Likely to Call Rude

Keep your earbuds in while someone’s talking to you, and most adults 65 and older consider that rude.

A national Pew survey found older adults draw the line in different places than younger adults do.

Here are the public behaviors older Ohioans are more likely to call rude.

The Pew Survey

Pew Research Center asked 9,609 adults across the country about public behaviors in November 2024.

Everyone in the survey belongs to Pew’s American Trends Panel.

That makes these national numbers.

Respondents rated how acceptable each of eight behaviors is, and you can try the same questions in Pew’s online quiz.

Age gaps showed up on every question, with older adults more likely than younger adults to see each behavior as unacceptable.

Its published examples compare adults 65 and older with adults under 30.

The first two sections run from the widest age gap to the narrower one, and the rest run from most disapproved overall to least.

1. Swearing in Public

Cursing out loud in public has the widest age gap in the published numbers.

Among adults 65 and older, 89% say it’s rarely or never acceptable, while only 38% of adults under 30 say the same.

That’s a 51-point gap.

Across all adults, the share is 65%.

Visible swear words, such as a message on a T-shirt or a sign, show the same split by age.

Among adults 65 and older, 86% disapprove, compared with 42% of adults under 30.

Across all adults, 66% object.

2. Earbuds During a Conversation

Wearing earbuds while you talk to someone in person is a public behavior with the next widest age gap in the survey.

The survey’s example was a shopkeeper.

Among adults 65 and older, 76% object, while only 36% of adults under 30 do.

Across all adults, 57% say it’s rarely or never acceptable.

Another 26% say it’s sometimes acceptable.

3. Smoking Around Others

Smoking around other people in public tops Pew’s list, with 77% of all adults disapproving.

Older adults were more likely to disapprove.

Ohio’s smoke-free law has barred smoking in indoor public places and workplaces since December 7, 2006.

The law exempts places such as private residences and outdoor patios.

It also requires no-smoking signs at each entrance to a place where smoking is prohibited.

4. Photos Without Permission

Pew found older adults more likely than younger adults to see taking a photo or video of someone in public without asking as unacceptable.

Overall, 74% of adults object, which puts it just behind smoking.

Women are more likely than men to object, 78% to 69%.

5. Kids in Bars and Upscale Restaurants

Bringing a child into a bar or an upscale restaurant is something 69% of all adults call rarely or never acceptable.

Older adults object more often, Pew found.

Lower-income adults (76%) are also more likely than higher-income adults (62%) to object.

6. Music Out Loud

Playing music out loud in public falls in the middle of Pew's list, with 59% of all adults disapproving.

Another 32% say it's sometimes acceptable.

Older adults were more likely than younger adults to say it's rarely or never acceptable.

Adults without a four-year college degree are about twice as likely as college graduates to call it always or usually acceptable, 11% to 5%.

Headphones are your easy fix.

7. Pets in Indoor Stores

Pew found older adults more likely than younger adults to object to bringing a pet into an indoor space like a grocery store or shop.

Overall, 45% of adults say it's rarely or never acceptable, and 14% say it's usually or always acceptable.

Another four in ten say it's sometimes acceptable.

Opinions on this behavior are the most divided of the eight asked about.

Ohio law lets a restaurant allow dogs in its outdoor dining area, but a dog can't pass through an indoor area to get there.

Knowing How to Behave in Public

Pew found 84% of adults say it's very or somewhat easy for them to know how to behave in public.

Among adults 65 and older, 87% say it's easy, compared with 80% of adults under 30.

By income, 89% of higher-income adults say it's easy, compared with 78% of lower-income adults.

Public Behavior Since the Pandemic

If you feel like people have gotten ruder, Pew found that 47% of adults agree.