For many, getting dressed in the morning isn’t just a matter of grabbing whatever article of clothing is nearest. It’s a moment of self-expression before you dive into the day. And when it comes to picking bottoms, pants and shorts often vie for top choice. 

According to CivicScience data, when asked to choose between the two, 57% of Americans prefer pants, while 43% prefer shorts. Women are 17 percentage points more likely than men to choose pants, while adults aged 65 and older outpace all other age groups by at least 11 percentage points in their love of the full-coverage option. 

Beyond the Wardrobe: How Pants and Shorts Wearers Differ

From home security interest to adult friendships, CivicScience data reveal a wide range of lifestyle and consumer differences between those who prefer pants and those who prefer shorts:

Home Security: While 46% of pants-wearers say they are not interested in home security systems, just 36% of shorts-wearers say the same. 

Plant-Based Meats: Those who prefer shorts are seven percentage points more likely than those who prefer pants to intend to try plant-based meats (16% vs 9%). 

Book Preferences: Among readers, pants fans are 10 percentage points more likely than shorts fans to read new, printed books (41% vs 31%). 

Celebrity News: Those who wear shorts are 12 percentage points more likely to share celebrity news via social media than those who wear pants (44% vs 32%). 

Debt Comfort: Pants fans are five percentage points more likely than shorts fans to say they are comfortable with their current level of debt (57% vs 52%). 

Adult Friendship: Those who prefer shorts are nine percentage points more likely than pants-wearers to say they have made a long-lasting friendship with a complete stranger as adults (59% vs 48%). 

Where do you stand? Take this poll now and see how your preference compares with other Americans:

While the question of pants versus shorts may seem superficial, the data clearly show that this fashion choice is linked with a wide range of consumer preferences that impact all areas of your life–something to think about the next time you open your closet.

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This article’s data comes solely from CivicScience’s database, which contains nearly 700,000 poll questions and 5 billion consumer insights.