Survey examines how many customers are satisfied with their looks

NEW YORK — Are you satisfied with your looks? According to new GfK research, 60% of people in the United States said they are “completely” or “fairly” satisfied with their looks — slightly higher than the global average of 55%.



Across all 22 countries studied, 12% went as far as saying that they are “completely satisfied” with their appearance versus 16% in the United States. In contrast, only 16% globally, and 13% in the Unite States, expressed any dissatisfaction with how they look.



According to the findings, complete satisfaction with personal looks is highest in Latin America, with Mexico, Brazil and Argentina all appearing in the top five for the percentage of population claiming this. The Japanese are the most critical of their own looks, with 38% not too satisfied or not at all satisfied, followed by the British, Russians and South Koreans (all at 20%).



In the United States, 21% of teens say they are “not at all” or “not too” satisfied with their appearance; only boomers in the 50 to 59 age bracket come close to this level of dissatisfaction. But the teen level is in line with the global average (20%) for that age group; and U.S. consumers in the 20 to 29, 30 to 39, and 40 to 49 age brackets are more positive about their looks than people globally. Overall, people aged 60 and older were among the least self-critical, both in the Unite States and worldwide.



The genders are about the same in terms of happiness with their looks; in the United States, 60% of men and 61% of women say they are either “completely” or “fairly” satisfied with their appearance. In the global measurement, both sexes came out at 55%. But U.S. women are slightly more likely than men to be displeased with their looks — 14% are “not too” or “not at all” satisfied, compared with 11% of U.S. men. This disparity is roughly in line with the global averages.



GfK conducted the online survey (face-to-face in Ukraine) with more than 27,000 people aged 15 or older in 22 countries. Fieldwork was carried out in summer 2014.