Most Canadians agree that tipping 15 per cent is reasonable, but a new study says they’re split on which businesses and services should be entitled to request gratuity.
Data collected by Narrative Researchsays 77 per cent of Canadians surveyed agree that asking for tips in restaurants is acceptable, while 60 per cent agree tipping at hair salons is also reasonable.
On the contrary, respondents said the least acceptable place to be asked for a tip was a retail store where only seven per cent said tipping was necessary.
Meanwhile, 19 per cent said tipping at a takeout restaurant was acceptable, 20 percent said they tip for grocery pickup and 21 per cent agreed that tipping fast-food restaurants was normal.
The study revealed that decision making for tipping is complex and highly contextual. For example, almost half of Canadians, 48 per cent, say it is appropriate to be asked to tip by a taxi but only 39 per cent think it is okay to be asked by ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft.
“Canadians are also more willing to tip a third-party food delivery service like UberEats (47 per cent) than a ride sharing app (39 per cent),” the study says.
In one area, biological sex is a determinant for tipping. The study found that men and women disagree over gratuity at the hair salon.
“67 per cent of women feel it is okay to be asked for a tip compared to just 53 per cent of men,” according to the data.
Canadians are also willing to tip more at sit-down restaurants than they are at hair salons.
Almost a quarter of Canadians, 24 per cent, said they are willing to tip 18 per cent or more at a restaurant compared to only 19 per cent who were willing to tip the same amount at a salon or barber.
Moreover, 15 per cent tips are more common at restaurants than at hair salons and barbers. The study found that 53 per cent of respondents were willing to tip 15 per cent at salons compared to 45 per cent at barbers.
Salon and barbershop staff are also more likely to receive lower tips compared to restaurant workers, with 23 per cent of Canadians saying they would tip five per cent or nothing at all compared to a restaurant where just 17 per cent would tip five per cent while six per cent would leave no tip.
Results are taken from an online survey conducted by Narrative Research and the Logit Group.
The online survey by Narrative Research and the Logit Group was conducted between Aug. 9 and 10, with 1,230 Canadians polled. Data were weighted based on the 2016 Census, by gender, age, and region.
