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Americans cite physical looks as a source of external judgment

Source reportMethodology

Overview

Asked what contributes most to how they are perceived by others, nearly half of adults (47.5%) name their appearance. Age comes next at 13.0%, followed by race at 10.9%, social class at 8.4% and gender at 6.5%.

Appearance is also something people spend on. About one-in-five adults (22.3%) put money into their physical appearance in the past year to help a current or prospective romantic relationship.

Topline

47.5% name appearance as what contributes most to how others perceive them; age (13.0%) and race (10.9%) trail well behind.

What do you think contributes most to how you are perceived by others? My...

  • Appearance 47.5%
  • Age 13.0%
  • None of the above 11.9%
  • Race 10.9%
  • Social class 8.4%
  • Gender 6.5%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.1%

Verasight PAA Omnibus Survey #2026-051

View source data

Appearance leads by a wide margin

Nearly half of adults (47.5%) say their appearance contributes most to how they are perceived by others.

No other trait comes close. Age is next at 13.0%, followed by race (10.9%), social class (8.4%), gender (6.5%) and sexuality (1.8%).

The next trait depends on who is answering

Black adults are far likelier than White adults to say race contributes most to how others perceive them, 27.1% versus 6.2%.

Age looms largest for older adults: 25.7% of adults 65 and older name it, compared with 5.2% of adults 30-49.

Topline

22.3% spent money on their appearance in the past year for romantic reasons, 13.4% for a current relationship and 8.9% for prospective ones.

Did you, in the last year, spend money on your physical appearance with the intent of improving your chances or your experience romantically?

  • No 77.7%
  • Yes, for a current romantic relationship 13.4%
  • Yes, for prospective romantic relationships 8.9%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.1%

Verasight PAA Omnibus Survey #2026-051

View source data

Some back the judgment with money

About one-in-five adults (22.3%) say they spent money on their physical appearance in the past year to improve their romantic chances or experience, including 13.4% for a current relationship and 8.9% for prospective ones.

The spending skews young. Among adults 65 and older, 91.2% say they did not spend for this reason, compared with 62.7% of adults 18-29.

Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Population
US adults age 18+
Field dates
2026-06-03 → 2026-06-08
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.1%
Module
B
Sponsor
Verasight
Weight variable
weight
Weighting targets
age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

Sources

[2]

Citation

Verasight PAA Omnibus Survey #2026-051, fielded June 3-8, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.1%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/paa-2026#q-36

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.