Report · Culture

People judge close friends by their own motivations

Reading

Most Americans (65%) rely at least somewhat on their own level of motivation when judging how driven a close friend is; the largest group puts that reliance at somewhat (28%), and 7% rely on it a great deal.

The other 35% draw on themselves only a little or not at all, including 13% who say not at all, according to a Verasight survey of 526 U.S. adults conducted May 11, 2026.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

People judge close friends by their own motivations.

When judging how motivated a close friend is to pursue their goals, how much do you rely on your own level of motivation as a reference point?

  • Somewhat 27.6%
  • Moderately 17.8%
  • Not at all 13.5%
  • A little 13.1%
  • A lot 12.5%
  • Very little 8.2%
  • A great deal 7.3%

2026 · base n 526 · +/- 4.6%

identity

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-05-11 → 2026-05-11
Base (unweighted)
526
Margin of error
+/- 4.6%
Module
identity

Source

Citation

Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=526 US adults age 18+, +/- 4.6%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io. Verified legacy reports remain on their original hosts, and unpublished reports are marked pending.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.