How Well Do You Treat Your Feet?

Blacksocks.com uncovers the truth about sock changing behavior in America and Europe.

New York, NY - A new survey conducted on sock wearing habits reveals one of two things: that most Americans are generally good about changing their socks regularly, or they’re not willing to admit how dirty and smelly their feet really are. This survey, conducted by international sock subscription service Blacksocks got Americans coast to coast to come clean – or not so clean – about their habits when it comes to changing their socks.

The bottom line: 82 percent of respondents say they change their socks every day, 6.5 percent say they change their socks more than once a day, 3.9 percent change their socks every two days, and 2.6 percent change every three days.

So who comprises the diligent sock changers of America? For one, the majority of them are individuals of a more mature age who appreciate the value of a fresh pair of socks. Of respondents between 50 and 74 years old, 86 percent said they change every day or multiple times a day, which makes up about 62 percent of all daily sock changers. Surprisingly, though, 76 percent of these folks purchase fewer than ten pairs of socks annually, meaning their socks have been through a lot.

These results were gathered as part of a larger sock-related fact finding mission. In addition to Americans, Blacksocks polled over 3,000 sock wearers in Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, and Italy, and the results from these countries are a slightly different story. In total, 77 percent of the Europeans change their socks every day, though European men and women seem to have slightly different habits: 73 percent of European men are daily sock changers, compared to 80 percent of the women.

US Leads in Sock Ownership

The US leads the pack in sock ownership with the average American owning 26 pairs. Our European counterparts:

• United States: 26

• Germany: 24

• Austria: 22

• Switzerland: 21

• Great Britain: 18

• Italy: 17

• France: 15

The American respondents are also overwhelmingly independent in their sock buying habits, as 88.2 percent say they purchase socks for themselves. This trend depended heavily on gender, though, since 100 percent of the women surveyed say they purchase their own socks, and each of the respondents who let someone else do their sock shopping are men.

«As the leading purveyor of socks worldwide, we are proud to have conducted one of the most extensive and revealing surveys on sock wearing habits in the history of surveys or socks,» says Blacksocks founder and managing director Samy Liechti. «We hope this sheds light on the importance of changing your socks at least once a day.»

Blacksocks’ world headquarters are in Zurich, Switzerland. The US offices are in New York City. For information and customer service, email or call 212.255.8910

Download pdf