Survey: use of "Ms."

[serenissima]

Got a couple minutes to spare this weekend? Help out a friend of a friend:

"Hi!

I could really use your help gathering some data for a school assignment. I've created a survey about the way people use Miss, Mrs. and Ms. It will only take a few minutes of your time and I would really appreciated the help. I'm trying to get the data in by Monday 2/5/07.

Also, if you could forward it to just a couple of your friends, especially those of you who are outside of NY, that would be most awesome!

Here's the survey link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=159893235809

Thanks!"
[I'm deliberately leaving out the person's name]

This really does take no more than a minute or two, it's only 10 questions.

Comments

[daisho.livejournal.com]

Done. I had to leave a note about questions 8 and 9, though -- couldn't answer either, because I basically never use courtesy titles when I introduce people verbally.

[403.livejournal.com]

Likewise. They seem to be falling out of favor.

(It always sets me on edge when someone applies a courtesy title to me, because the only time it's used is when someone I don't know well wants something from me.)

[copperwolf.livejournal.com]

I use titles (Mr./Ms.) at work, unless

the person has been introduced to me on a first-name basis and I have heard others call him/her by first name, or

it's obvious the person is younger than me.

Outside work, I can't think of an instance when I've been introduced to someone new on anything other than a first name basis, for several years now.

Oh -- my professor. I call her "Dr. So-and-so," of course. :)

[403.livejournal.com]

Wow. Even on day shift, my workplace is entirely first-name.

I often just call my professors 'Professor', because I can't pronounce their name. c..c

[firenightingale.livejournal.com]

Done. I would never introduce a friend as 'Miss/Ms/Mrs' so-and-so unless it was a very formal situation or I was being silly. In the workplace it would also be rare for me to add a title before someone's name but I might do it if it were a formal meeting and I were introducing someone to a colleague that they'd corresponded with or heard about in writing.