Zoosk's International Kissing Day Survey Reveals That Americans Love To French Kiss More Than The French

SAN FRANCISCO, July 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of International Kissing Day, recognized around the world on July 6, Zoosk.com, the romantic social network, recently surveyed more than 13,000 of its members  from around the globe to gather their thoughts about one of life's sweetest pleasures – kissing! The survey results show that while kissing may the universal language of love, cultural differences abound. To view infographics of Zoosk's survey results, visit http://blog.zoosk.com/2012/07/04/international-kissing-day-survey-results/. To view a video about international perspectives on kissing, visit http://bit.ly/ZooskIKD.

Zoosk's International Kissing Day survey findings include:

• Apparently, the "French Kiss" is more popular in the United States than in France!
  • 46% of Americans say a "French Kiss" is their favorite type of kiss while only 21% of the French prefer it. The French prefer a single sensual lip kiss with 55% of the French selecting that as their favorite type of kiss.
  • The least preferred type of kiss in the U.S. is an "air kiss," with less than 1% of Americans selecting it as their favorite.
• Americans are more likely to kiss on a first date than Europeans.
  • The majority of Americans (52%), Australians (58%) and Canadians (54%) say they kiss on a first date.
  • The majority of Europeans, on the hand other, do not. Only 29% of Germans, 37% of Danes, 47% of Swedes, 32% of the French and 42% of Italians say they do so.
• Americans have liberal views about public displays of affection.
  • 95% of Americans say kissing in public is fine, while 5% say they prefer others keep kissing a more private activity.
  • Surprisingly, Italians, who are well known for their romantic displays, are slightly more conservative than Americans with 10% of Italians preferring amorous couples kiss in private.
• Kissers worldwide agree that bad breath is the biggest turn-off.  
  • 59% of kissers around the world (60% in U.S.) say bad breath is the worst offense when it comes to kissing. 
  • Other turn-offs around the globe include: a wet kiss, too much tongue, and a kiss that is too short.
• A kiss hello? This French tradition is gaining popularity in the United States.
  • America is the land of the handshake or a hug as a greeting, but a whopping 55% of Americans say they now use a kiss as a greeting.
  • 95% of the French say they greet others with a kiss.
• Hello, Goodbye. Which kiss is more important?
  • The French stand alone with their preference for a hello kiss (84%).
  • The majority of kissers in every other country surveyed, including 64% of Americans, say a goodbye kiss is more important than a kiss hello.
• The votes are in and the most romantic Hollywood kiss, according to Americans, was between Rachael McAdams and Ryan Gosling in "The Notebook." 

The Zoosk Kissing Survey was conducted online by Zoosk in June 2012 in the U.S, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the U.K.  The survey garnered a total of 13,332 responses from Zooskers around the world.

To celebrate the romance in our lives and its recently launched Couple Profiles offering, Zoosk is currently hosting a contest to find the most romantic couple in America. Couples who create a shared profile on Zoosk and post a romantic moment could win a romantic getaway and $10,000 cash. For more information or to enter the contest, please visit zoosk.com/couple/contest.

About Zoosk
Zoosk is the romantic social network that helps members create and share their romantic journeys, with millions of members from around the globe enjoying the service each month. Zoosk provides members at different stages of their romantic journey with a fun and social set of tools such as Romantic Moments, Couple Profiles, and the Personals application. Members can easily access Zoosk's services from its website, its Facebook app, mobile devices, and a downloadable desktop application. Zoosk is available in 25 languages and has members in more than 70 countries. Founded in 2007 by Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr, Zoosk, Inc. is based in San Francisco and backed by Canaan Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, and ATA Ventures.

SOURCE Zoosk