People No Longer Know How Much to Tip

Tipping can be seen as an obligation or as a choice—and, as a new study shows, the answer often varies by generation.

Younger people are more likely to tip by default, while older consumers tend to say it is a personal decision, a new survey from the Pew Research Center found. Our attitudes about when and how much to tip have been reshaped by all the screens prompting us for gratuities at cafes and other businesses. There is one area of consensus: Nearly three-quarters said they now get hit up for tips much more often than five years ago.