AUSTIN, Texas, June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A survey commissioned by Austin-based SpareFoot, the country's largest marketplace for self-storage, finds that over half of American adults (52 percent) know someone — a coworker, friend, neighbor or relative — who's a hoarder.
Matt Paxton, one of the stars of the "Hoarders" reality TV franchise, said he thinks the 52 percent figure in the SpareFoot survey actually is too low. "I think we all know someone who's a hoarder — it's just that we may not be aware of it," Paxton told The SpareFoot Blog.
Meanwhile, 7 percent of American adults identify themselves as hoarders, according to the survey, conducted for SpareFoot by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Just 2 percent to 5 percent of Americans are classified as hoarders, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
"When it comes to hoarding, the results of this survey show a disconnect between reality and reality TV. Many of us lack a full understanding of what hoarding is all about," said Chuck Gordon, co-founder and CEO of SpareFoot.
The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, done in May 2015, also found:
- Only 4 percent of Americans correctly identify hoarding as a mental disorder.
- 46 percent of Americans describe hoarders as "packrats."
- 14 percent of Americans view hoarders as bad, dirty, greedy, messy or selfish.
To learn more about Americans' views on hoarding, visit blog.sparefoot.com/7925-sparefoot-survey-about-hoarding.
Survey methodology
Princeton Survey Research Associates International's May 2015 Omnibus Week 4 survey obtained telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults living in the continental U.S. Telephone interviews were conducted by landline (500) and cellphone (500, including 319 without a landline phone). The survey was conducted May 28-31, 2015, by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Interviews were done in English and Spanish by Princeton Data Source. Statistical results are weighted to correct known demographic discrepancies. The margin of sampling error for the complete set of weighted data is ± 3.5 percentage points.
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About SpareFoot
SpareFoot makes finding and booking self-storage easy. SpareFoot partners with brands like SelfStorage.com and Penske Truck Rental to reach millions of storage customers. Our free marketplace of thousands of facilities lets customers search and compare the largest inventory of storage units in the U.S. while enjoying exclusive discounts.
No other website provides more up-to-date information on storage pricing, availability, facility amenities and more. With an award-winning team of storage experts, SpareFoot brings consumers and facilities together to create a convenient and enjoyable storage experience online, offline and via mobile.
For more information, visit SpareFoot.com.
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SOURCE SpareFoot
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