WHAT WE BELIEVE

THE 60 MINUTES/VANITY FAIR POLL

CALL HIM WHATEVER YOU LIKE— SASQUATCH, BIGFOOT, YETI—BUT MANY AMERICANS WOULD SAY "I TOLD YOU SO" IF THEY ACTUALLY SAW HIM. FAIRIES ARE ANOTHER STORY ...

This month's poll results include the suggestions that (a) a college degree makes you almost as likely to believe in the Loch Ness Monster as in Bigfoot (this sets graduates apart from the rest of the population, which is heavily Sasquatchcentric with respect to mythological creatures) and (b) getting a college degree will also make it five times more likely that you will believe in fairies than if you, say, hadn't done something about that "incomplete." (Maybe this isn't surprising: in today's economy, getting that degree is itself an act of faith.) But tucked away amid this notable data, and unrelated to the preceding as far as we can tell, is a faint but detectable portrait of an entire segment of our population: older Americans.

No, really. Here's what emerges: Older folks are far less likely, given the opportunity, to spend counterfeit cash; are twice as concerned about football players' long-term health issues as they are about boxers'; favor, among flavors, chocolate over the otherwise widely popular "steak"; and are less approving than their younger fellow citizens of social-network communication between teachers and students. In other words, older Americans are, basically, rectitudinous N.F.L.-watching sweet tooths.

But they're also trustworthy. Even two-thirds of the under-30s think so. Which is amazing, because trusting anyone over 30, as anyone over 60 would have told you when he or she was under 30, makes about as much sense as believing in the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot.

@vf.com SEE THE COMPLETE POLL RESULTS.

This poll was conducted at the CBS News interviewing facility among a random sample of992 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone December 14~18, 2011. Some low-percentage answer choices have been omitted.

Which mythical creature do you think is most likely to actually exist?

All other things being equal, would you say a man wearing a beard gives a more favorable impression, a less favorable impression, or does a beard not affect your impression at all?

Bigfoot 40%

Loch Ness Monster 20 26 18

Unicorns 7 4

Vampires 6 4 6

Fairies 4 10 2

Which comes closest to your feelings about schoolteachers using social-networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter to interact with their students?

It's O.K. if behavior is appropriate 24% 44% 28% 13% 10%

It's O.K. only for academics 27 15 32 32 30

Teachers shouldn't do it 45 41 40 51 50

In which one of the following professional sports do you think athletes are most likely to sustain a permanent injury that will affect them after they retire?

N.F.L. football 49% 46% 49% 47% 61%

Boxing 36 30 40 41 26

Hockey 15 7 6 6

Martial arts 4 6 3 3 3

Harder

25 28 24

The : 72 66 74

Would you say you find it harder to trust people older than you, easier to trust people older than you, or does age not make any difference?

If all food had only one flavor, which of the following would you most like that flavor to be?

Chocolate 34%|26%|42%|38%[41%

30 43 18 25 17

Watermelon 16 13 18 14 13

Mashed potatoes 12 11 13 15 15

Broccoli 6 5 7 3 9

More favorable 9% [10% I 9%

Less favorable 23 18 28

No effect 66 71 61

Hi f 1 O O ⅝ ° o * a

Spend them all 6% 14% 5% 1% 5%

Spend one or two 10 18 10 5 7

Not spend any 83 67 85 92 84

Would you discourage a high-school senior that you knew well from attending - Penn State University, or not?

9% 8% 10%

No 84 86 82

Which of the following types of organizations you most likely to donate money to?

Religious institution 31% 44% 28% 57% 3%

Relief organization 20 18 23 12 29

Alma mater/child's school 13 9 18 7 16

Arts institution 5 4 1 4 10

Public radio 4 2 1 2 11

Something else 23 20 25 14 29

4 2 3 4 5