A large majority of Americans are OK with men shedding tears in public, but 16% do say it's unacceptable
The Cleveland Cavaliers hit the headlines last week and not just because of their NBA title victory. After 52 years Cleveland finally won a title and LeBron James, a native of nearby Akron, led his team of champions in a flood of tears. This wasn't LeBron's first title, but the tears that flowed after fulfilling his promise to deliver a championship for his hometown were notably missing when he won two titles with the Miami Heat.
YouGov's latest research shows that, by and large, Americans are OK with crying. The vast majority of Americans say that it is acceptable for men (89%) and women (93%) to cry in private. 82% also say that it is acceptable for women to cry in public. The only situation in which a noticeable minority of people say that crying is unacceptable is when it comes to men in public. 16% say that it is unacceptable for men to cry in public. Men (21%) are more likely than women (12%) to say that it is unacceptable for men to cry in public.
Though attitudes do not differ significantly, women (50%) much more likely than men (20%) to report having cried within the past week. Just under two-thirds of men (65%) do say that they have cried within the past year. 30% of men, however, say that the last time they cried was over a year ago compared to only 11% of women.
Full poll results and margin of error can be found here.
