Men and millennials are the least likely to tip — but the most generous when they do, survey finds

CINCINNATI - Tipping is a large part of the American service industry and an expectation when dining out at a restaurant or getting a haircut at the salon — but some groups of people are better than others when it comes to leaving gratuity.

According to a new survey by CreditCards.com, women and baby boomers are the most likely to leave a tip when compared to men and millennials.

Men and millennials, on the other hand, were found to be more generous when they actually do leave a tip.

Tip money is shown in a file photo taken at a restaurant on June 7, 2012 (Photo credit: Francis Dean/Corbis via Getty Images)

The survey of more than 2,500 U.S. adults found that women are more likely than men to always tip hairstylists (66 percent versus 60 percent), servers (80 percent versus 74 percent) and food delivery workers (66 percent versus 59 percent).

When comparing the tipping habits of generations, baby boomers are more likely than millennials to always tip restaurant servers (89 percent versus 66 percent), taxi or rideshare drivers (63 percent versus 40 percent), hairstylists (73 percent versus 53 percent), food delivery people (72 percent versus 56 percent) and hotel housekeepers (33 percent versus 23 percent).

Baby boomers are currently between the ages of 55 and 73, while millennials are aged 23 to 38, according to the Pew Research Center.

The survey also found that among those who actually leave a gratuity at restaurants, women give about a percentage point less than men, and millennials typically give 22 percent compared to boomers giving an average of 17 percent.

“So, as a service person, you’re more likely to get a really good tip from a man or a millennial — and also more likely to get stiffed,” the company concluded about its findings in a press release.

Ted Rossman, an industry analyst at CreditCards.com, noted that millennials seem to have a cultural aversion to tipping.

“In last year’s survey, we asked if people would be willing to pay more for restaurant meals if tipping were abolished, and millennials were the most likely to say yes,” Rossman said.

Among all restaurant diners in the survey, the median tip was found to be 18 percent and for the diners who always leave a gratuity, the median tip rose to 20 percent.

Not surprisingly, those who have worked for tips in the past tended to be better tippers. Roughly 28 percent of U.S. adults have held a job in which they received gratuities, and they tip restaurant servers an average of 22 percent versus 17 percent for those who have never worked for tips.

Those people are also more likely to tip baristas, trash collectors and more.

“When in doubt, I think you should tip, particularly if this is a service provider you interact with regularly,” Rossman said.