Raise your hand if you’ve ever thrown the instruction manual straight into the recycling bin before you even got the box open. 🙋‍♀️

No judgment here. Between soccer practice, dinner, and remembering whose turn it is to unload the dishwasher, who has time to read a 40-page booklet on how to use a blender? You push buttons until something happens. That’s the manual.

Turns out, most of us feel exactly the same way — and there’s now a poll to prove it.

So… Who’s Actually Reading the Fine Print?

A new poll asked people how much of the instruction manual they actually read when they get a new appliance or device. The answers are pretty relatable:

• “All of it” – 14%
• “Most of it” – 29%
• “Some of it” – 43%
• “None of it” – 8%
• “Not sure” – 6%

So basically, the majority of us are just winging it with our new stuff. Some of it, sure. All of it? Ha, no.

Wait… Grandma and Grandpa Are Beating Us at This?

Here’s the plot twist. You know how younger folks are always complaining about having to walk their parents through setting up a new phone or streaming a show? Turns out older generations are actually more likely to sit down and read the manual than the younger crowd is.

• 16% of Boomers said they read the whole thing, compared to just 12% of Gen Z
• 34% of Boomers read “most of it,” versus 27% of Gen Z
• Only 5% of Boomers admitted to reading none of the manual — compared to 9% of Gen Z

So while we’re all out here rolling our eyes when Mom calls asking how to work the new microwave, she might actually understand her appliances better than we understand ours. Humbling, honestly.

(Oh, and in case you were wondering — men and women were basically neck and neck on this one. This isn’t a gender thing, it’s a “life is busy” thing.)

The Real Takeaway

Maybe there’s something to that whole “read the care instructions” thing. Skipping the manual might mean pushing buttons and hoping for the best… but it also might mean your new gadget doesn’t last as long as it should. 😅

You can check out the full poll results here if you want to see exactly how your generation stacks up.

So be honest with us — when you get something new, are you reading every word of that manual, or are you a “push buttons and hope” kind of person? Tell us on our Facebook or Instagram — we want to know if we’re alone in this! 📖🙈