THAT SINKING FEELING

ASK AMERICANS THEIR WORST VICE, AND PRIDE IS THE POPULAR ANSWER. BUT MOST WOULD HAVE SWALLOWED IT ON THE TITANIC AND RUN FOR THE LIFEBOATS.

THE 60 MINUTES/VANITY FAIR POLL

Google "pride" and "America" and you get about 300 million results, so it's safe to say that the two words have a relationship, probably a long-standing one. And lo: our new poll shows that Americans consider pride the most tempting of the seven deadly sins, by quite a bit. (Curiosity got the better of us and we tried Googling "sloth" and "America": only 12 million results.) Other poll results this month reinforce the idea that pride is in our DNA. We're too proud, for instance, to drink on the job (or, anyway, roughly 9 out of 10 of us are). And we're party-proud ("party" of another sort in this case): according to responses to a question about one-term presidents, 51 percent of Republicans feel that George H. W. Bush deserved a second term, and 45 percent of Democrats say, Well, actually, Jimmy Carter did. Go, team! Speaking of politics, we are bipartisanly proud of our system: 69 percent of us say we could never live in a non-democratic country. Pride even has a hand in determining our hypothetical reaction to a voice, biblical-style, from a burning bush. Most of us are (thankfully) too proud to act on its instructions and then have to explain to others, sheepishly, "Well, some bush told me to," though a decent number of us are apparently not too proud to say we'd seek counseling. Finally, an area pride doesn't enter into: for a majority of us, if WE had been playing violin on the Titanic when it struck the iceberg, we would have immediately hightailed it for a lifeboat. One in 10 would have played "one short song" first. Presumably something short and fast. We'll go with either "Flight of the Bumblebee" (Rimsky-Korsakov) or "I Don't Wanna Walk Around with You" (Ramone/Ramone/Ramone/Ramone).

{ @vf.com SEE THE COMPLETE POLL RESULTS.

Which of the following labels would hurt the most if you knew someone thought that about you?

Liar 42% 48% 34% 45% Racist 36 28 48 33 Cheap 12 7 6 Neurotic 3 2 4 3 Ugly 2 2 2 3

A few celebrities have recently admitted to drinking or being drunk at work. Have you ever been a little tipsy at work?

Yes 11% 16% 7% No 87 81 92 I can't remember 2 3 1

If you had to pick one, which of the following characters from the television showFriendsdo you relate to the most?

Chandler 10% 17% 4% Rachel 10 2 17 Monica 9 3 15 Joey 7 13 1 Phoebe 6 2 10 Ross 5 8 2 Don't know/No opinion 53 55 50

Currently, the Federal Communications Commission forbids the use of profane language on broadcast television between the hours of 6 A.M. and 10 P.M. Which comes closest to your opinion about the use of profanity on broadcast television?

Keep policy as is 49% 56% 54% 49% 32% Prohibit it at all times 42 32 36 44 61 Allow it at all times 7 11 8 6 5

Which of the seven deadly sins do you feel the most susceptible to?

Pride 35% 35% 35% Gluttony 13 10 16 Lust 12 17 8 Greed 7 8 7 Sloth 5 6 5 Wrath 3 3 4

If one day a burning bush spoke to you, what would you do?

Put out the fire 35% 24% 44% Do whatever it told me 21 39 9 Seek counseling 16 9 19 Run away 14 14 17

Do you think you could live in a country without democracy?

No 69% I already do 15 Yes, who needs it? 4 Yes, as long as I'm rich 4

This poll was conducted at the CBS News interviewing facility among a random sample of 1,125 adults nationwide, intemewed by telephone February 24-27, 2012. Some low-percentage answer choices have been omitted.

How likely do you think it is that a serious commitment of U.S. forces will be sent somewhere in the Middle East within the next two years?

Very likely 43% 55% 30% 43% Somewhat likely 39 34 46 38 Not very likely 7 5 12 5 Not at all likely 6 3 6

Which one of the following one-term presidents do you feel most deserved to be re-elected to a second term?

George H. W. Bush 27% 51% 11 23 Jimmy Carter 23 7 45 18 John Adams 22 23 22 20 Gerald Ford 13 12 12 14

If you were playing violin in the band on the deck of theTitanicafter it struck the iceberg, how long would you play for?

I'd look for a lifeboat 55% Until the bitter end 15 One short song 10 Until my socks got wet 9 Once water reached the knees 4

What is the current annual salary of the president of the United States?

One dollar 2% 1% 2% $250,000 37 48 33 $400,000* 37 41 36 $1 million 12 5 14

*CORRECT ANSWER