60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll: February Edition

Welcome to the 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll for February. What's a good remedy for a cold February night? How about a warm and romantic Valentine's Day dinner? Speaking of love, 2012 is a Leap Year which occurs in years that are divisible by four to compensate for the fact that 365 days is a little bit shorter than a solar year. Leap Day, February 29th also known as Sadie Hawkins Day, is said to allow marriage-minded ladies to take matters into their own hands if their men are afflicted by a disease known as "cold feet."

President's Day also falls in February. It had always been two national holidays, Lincoln's birthday (Feb. 12) and Washington's birthday (Feb. 22). Not anymore. With our nation craving unity and direction, are there any better examples of devotion to country and exemplary leadership than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln? I think we may know your response, so off we go for some actual answers to this month's poll...

Twenty-four percent of Americans believe that it is okay for teachers to use Facebook or Twitter to interact with students as long as their behavior is appropriate. Twenty-seven percent think that it's all right if they are using it for academic reasons only. However 45 percent of Americans say flatly that teachers shouldn't do it. As young Americans become increasingly immersed in their technological devices and their applications, perhaps this is an opportunity for a teachable moment.

Namely, that while advances in technology are a good thing, learning to have extended face-to-face conversations looking real people in the eye is an even better thing.

Check out the Vanity Fair slideshow.
Got a question for our next poll?

Even with a tough economy and money tight, 83 percent of Americans say they would not spend any of the hundred grand in counterfeit money they theoretically found. Ten percent said they might spend one or two Ben Franklins and six percent said they would spend it all. People under 30 (32 percent) appeared to be more willing to risk time in the pen by spending some or all of the funny money.

Almost half of Americans think that NFL football is the pro sport where an athlete is most likely to sustain a permanent injury that will affect them after they retire. Next up is boxing with 36 percent followed by hockey (eight percent) and martial arts (four percent). As athletes continue to get bigger, faster and stronger (even without steroids) it seems inevitable that without further rule changes, their collisions are likely to create more trauma, concussions and permanent injuries.

An overwhelming 84 percent of Americans would not discourage young people from attending Penn State University. Only nine percent said that they would try to dissuade them from attending. The recent national scandal and the passing of legendary coach Joe Paterno has been a very difficult time for the university. But it is also an opportunity for the entire community to come together and define Penn State University and its identity as being so much more than a football powerhouse.

Americans are most likely to donate money to their churches (31 percent), followed by relief organizations (20 percent), schools (13 percent), arts institutions (five percent) and public radio (four percent). The good news is that almost all Americans are givers, and wherever and whenever tragedy or devastation strikes in the world, Americans will be there. That's one of our very best traits.

This month's suspend your disbelief/fantasy question has a slight twist (like a unicorn's horn). Which of the mythical creatures might really exist? The big winner is...Bigfoot with 40 percent of Americans betting that all of those sightings may have some basis in reality.

Next up is the Loch Ness Monster with 26 percent believing that "Nessie" may still be down there somewhere. Americans are less convinced about the existence of unicorns (seven percent) and fairies (four percent) and even Dracula and his kind (six percent) can't get people's blood boiling.

Two-thirds of Americans say that whether a man has a beard or not, it does not affect their impression of him at all. Twenty-three percent say that it gives a less favorable impression and nine percent say it gives a more favorable impression. Styles come and go, but beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. A good rule of thumb (or face) is, if your partner doesn't love it, shave it off.

In a one flavor world, 34 percent of Americans would want that flavor to be chocolate. Next, in order of preference, were steak (30 percent), watermelon (16 percent), mashed potatoes (12 percent) and broccoli (six percent). Forty-three percent of men chose steak and 42 percent of women chose chocolate. That means the perfect Valentine's Day for many Americans would entail him surprising her with chocolates and her surprising him with a steak dinner.

Americans are a very trusting people, 97 percent say that it is either just as easy or easier to trust people older than themselves. The counterculture generation of the 60's used to say "never trust anyone over 30" but that notion has been supplanted by a more inclusive and trusting social attitude. Maybe there is a new button or bumper sticker waiting to happen; "I can take it, just tell me the truth."

This poll was conducted at the CBS News interviewing facility among a random sample of 992 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone December 14-18, 2011. Phone numbers were dialed from random digit dial samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. Read more about this poll.