DISCOVER THE TRUTH
The Europeans' Sock Secrets
Europe's Largest Sock Study
Who only changes their socks every few days? Who owns the most pairs? And who prefers to have their mom buy their socks?
BLACKSOCKS knows the answers. A total of 3,000 men and women were surveyed across six European countries. This representative survey was conducted by the market research institute GfK Switzerland on behalf of BLACKSOCKS. The results are surprising and reveal significant differences within Europe. The respondents from all six countries have only one thing in common: the older you get, the less often you put on fresh socks.
Italy: The Most Avid Sock Shoppers
"Change is a must"
Who would have thought it: No European country is as particular about socks as the Italians.
One in ten even puts on fresh socks several times a day. Each year, these Southern Europeans buy new socks about 16 times. An Italian sock drawer contains an average of 17 pairs.
The Italians’ top picks:
Great Britain: The Biggest Mommy's Boys
"Shopping is for other people"
Who buys new socks for British men? Not their wives, not their partners—their mothers!
British men who don’t buy their own socks usually send their mom out to get them. When it comes to changing and owning socks, British men rank in the middle of the pack. But not when it comes to their shopping strategy—that’s one of a kind!
British bestsellers:
Switzerland: The Laziest Sock-Changers
"Cleanliness is not a virtue"
Switzerland, the cleanest country in the world. But that ends at the feet, if not sooner. Nowhere else do men change their socks as infrequently as in Switzerland.
Only 70% of those surveyed put on fresh socks every day. One in six wears the same socks for two days in a row, and one in ten Swiss people keep their feet in the same socks for more than two days.
Swiss bestsellers:
France: The Emptiest Sock Drawers
"Change is the exception"
Nonchalance is right at home in these sock drawers. It certainly has plenty of room, since the Frenchman owns by far the fewest socks: just 17 pairs.
Madame and Monsieur prefer to spend their money on other things; they buy only 9 pairs of new socks per year. That’s the lowest figure in this survey. Nonchalance extends to changing socks, too: Monsieur isn’t very keen on changing his socks—only 2 out of 3 do so every day.
The French’s top picks:
Germany: The Largest Collection of Socks
"Quantity matters"
You can never have too many socks. At least, that’s how Germans see it. Women and men here own 24 pairs each. That’s a European record.
Year after year, Germans buy 13 new pairs of socks. And when you have that many new socks, you want to wear them: 8 out of 10 people surveyed change their socks every day.
Germans’ top picks:
Austria: The Most Convenient Sock Shoppers
"Delegation Is Key"
No one likes to delegate as much as Austrian men. About a quarter of those surveyed have someone else buy their socks for them.
Mostly by their wives or partners. And they do so very conscientiously: On average, Austrian men own 23 pairs of socks, placing Austria second behind Germany in terms of sock ownership.
Austrians’ top picks: