Americans Don't "Sneak Their Geek" According To Modis 2013 Geek Pride Day Survey

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As Geek Pride Day approaches on May 25, an overwhelming majority of Americans will wear their "geek" badges with pride, according to the annual Geek Pride Day survey by Modis, a leading provider of information technology staffing. In fact, 87 percent of Americans—both self-described geeks and non-geeks— say they do not "sneak their geek" (e.g., hide personal or seemingly embarrassing passions or interests).

When working to impress someone, a vast majority of Americans (90 percent) said they would happily show off their "geek" books and comics. Another 65 percent said they would take pride in their "geek" toys such as stuffed animals and action figures, and a similar majority (65 percent) is proud of their superhero or cartoon character clothing. However, some Americans (13 percent) say they do, in fact, "sneak their geek," and hide their potentially embarrassing interests – most often from their neighbors (72 percent) and their co-workers (70 percent).

Not surprisingly, those who identify themselves as geeks are ready to hop on the wearable technology trend. Sixty-one percent of self-described geeks said they would buy and wear a "smart watch," a computerized wristwatch with Smartphone functionality, and 56 percent would do the same with "smart glasses," which have Smartphone and camera functionality. But that attitude extends beyond the geek set as more than a third (37 percent) of self-described "non-geeks" are also interested in buying and wearing a smart watch and a similar amount (35 percent) feel the same way about smart glasses.

"The prevalence of social media has encouraged people to share things about themselves in a way that simply wasn't possible before, resulting in people being less inhibited about habits and interests that may have been considered 'too geeky,'" said Jack Cullen, president of Modis. "When Americans are looking forward to wearing smart-gear, it's easy to see geek has caught on in a big way."

Other survey findings include:

Geeks are intelligent, loyal, and dateable. More than half (58 percent) of respondents define geeks as extremely intelligent — up from 45 percent in 2011. The appeal extends beyond intellect as 68 percent of those surveyed said they would date a geek – perhaps due in part to 67 percent of Americans identifying geeks with being loyal.

Geeks are more likely to be employed. Being a geek seems to extend into the workplace, as 76 percent of respondents identified geeks as being hard working and 70 percent of self-identified geeks surveyed are employed, compared to 54 percent of their non-geek counterparts.

Geeks may not be as funny as they think.  In some cases, geeks aren't quite in tune with others' perceptions of them. For example, though 74 percent of geeks consider themselves to be funny, only 53 percent of non-geeks would agree.

"The term 'geek' was once a pejorative way to describe someone that simply didn't fit the mold or had out-of-the-box hobbies," said Cullen. "But our survey shows a growing respect for geeks each year. It's definitely a good time to be a geek."

The full results of the Geek Pride Day survey are available here.

Methodology
The Modis Geek Pride Survey was conducted by telephone by Opinion Research Corporation, on behalf of Modis, among 1,011 Americans age 18 and older. The survey was fielded April 11-14, 2013. Survey results have a margin of error +/- 3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level for this sample size.

About Modis
Modis is a global provider of information technology staffing services and the second largest in North America. As the most dynamic IT recruitment specialists in the world, Modis connects leading companies in virtually every industry with top IT professionals for both temporary and permanent assignments. With keen industry insight, tenacity and unmatched depth of expertise, Modis understands the world of IT and the people who practice it. It is this understanding that empowers Modis to help both clients and candidates make exceptional connections in today's complex world of technology. Modis is a true powerhouse in the field of IT staffing, offering the most expansive talent base, branch network and global reach available in today's workforce. For additional information, please visit www.modis.com.

SOURCE Modis