A large majority of the country have given someone the finger, and the f-word is far and away the nation's favorite curse word

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Research from YouGov shows that, even though it's widely regarded as offensive, the middle finger gesture is a part of the fabric of American life. 44% of Americans say that it is very offensive, while 36% say that it is at least somewhat offensive. Despite this, 81% of Americans say that they have been 'given the finger', while 68% say that they have given someone else the finger. 35% admit to still occasionally doing it, with people aged 30 to 44 (48%) and people living in the Northeast (42%) being the most likely to still do it.

Looking at offensive words in addition to rude gestures, cursing is also relatively widespread. Only 36% of Americans say that they rarely or never curse, while 26% say that they curse often or all the time. Only 22%, however, say that they enjoy cursing, while 61% say that they do not. Again, people between the ages of 30 and 44 (32%) are the most likely to say that they enjoy cursing.

When Americans were asked what their favorite curse word actually is, 'f*ck' is clearly the nation's favorite, followed by 'sh*t' and then 'damn'. Other popular choices are '*sshole', 'bitch' and 'sonofabitch'. 'Doggone' and 'poopers', among others, are the favorite curse words of far fewer people.

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