Majority of Americans Say Sharing Common-Sense Information Makes Them Smarter and More Successful

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NEENAH, Wis., May 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Underscoring the importance
of sharing practical information, eight of 10 Americans claim that exchanging
common-sense information with others makes them smarter, and 68 percent
believe it even makes them more successful. Indeed, a new national survey on
common sense and sharing commissioned by SCOTT(R) Tissue and Towels finds that
99 percent consider common sense important to their everyday lives.
While Americans think common sense is important, they don't realize it can
be developed. In fact, 40 percent don't believe it can be learned, and only
one-in-five Americans thinks people are born with it. But Robert J.
Sternberg, IBM Professor of Psychology and Education and Professor of
Management at Yale University and an expert on practical intelligence, differs
strongly with that view. He contends that common sense is a life skill that
can be learned and improved, especially by sharing ideas and information with
others.
Dr. Sternberg, who has studied practical intelligence for more than 20
years, has completed notable research concluding that sharing information can
increase levels of common sense. "While many people believe it is a genetic
trait that can't be changed, common sense, in reality, isn't something we're
born with but something we learn in the school of life."
Recognizing the importance of sharing ideas, the SCOTT Brand is beginning
a nationwide Common Sense Tour in May 2005. The 15-city tour kicks off in New
York City on May 11 and will bring residents together to share their common-
sense tips and ideas. The tour will feature the House that Common Sense
Built, an interactive common-sense exhibit and "think tank." In addition,
SCOTT continues the year-old online Common Sense Community, at
http://www.ScottCommonSense.com , a resource for everyday common-sense tips
and information.
"Common sense is something we use every day, which is why we created the
House that Common Sense Built," says Ellen Wheeler, associate director of
SCOTT Tissue and Towels. "It's a place where people will give and get useful
common-sense information from across the country. As the creator of one of
the most practical household products, toilet paper, this shows how the SCOTT
Brand is committed to making common sense more common."
Additionally, the common-sense tips collected along the tour will go
toward a great cause. The SCOTT Brand is making a $300,000 donation to
Habitat for Humanity during the 2005 Common Sense Tour to help deserving
communities throughout the country.
The new SCOTT Brand survey uncovered many illuminating findings about
Americans' views of common sense.

Why Common Sense Matters
Common sense plays a major role in our everyday lives -- from cleaning the
house to managing finances. Ninety-nine percent of Americans say common sense
is important.
Americans identify a number of challenges in managing their lives.
Seventy percent report being overwhelmed by finances and 40 percent by
managing a household. Nearly half of respondents say that spending time with
their partners and finding personal time are challenges.

Men vs. Women
By a wide margin, Americans perceive that women are more open than men to
receiving common-sense advice on a number of life topics. Four-of-five
Americans say women are more open to seek advice on parenting, while only five
percent think men would do the same. In addition:
-- 85 percent of Americans believe that women are more open to seeking
tips and practical advice on relationships with partners.
-- 85 percent of Americans believe that women are more open to seeking
tips and advice on raising children.
-- Americans overwhelmingly see women as more likely to share advice on
parenting (90%), running a household (85%) and health (80%).
-- Men are perceived as more likely than women to share advice and tips on
career and work (47%), financial management (46%), and purchasing new
products (62%).

Common Sense Starts at Home with Mom and Dad
Home is not only where the heart is. Eighty-three percent of Americans
say they learned common sense growing up, primarily from their parents. A
large percentage of those who learned it growing up also felt they learned it
from teachers (59%) and other relatives (53%).

-- About a quarter say they learned common sense from siblings (26%) and
coaches (23%).
-- Men are more likely to report that they learned from coaches (31%,
compared to 13% of women).

Finding Common Sense in Your Community
Americans are divided on the ease of finding common sense in their
communities. Only 10 percent believe that it's "very easy" to find people in
their local community with whom they can share practical advice.
On the other hand, some Americans are more familiar with where they can
get practical advice in their communities. For instance, according to the
survey, people in Boise, Salt Lake City and San Antonio think it's easy to
find people in their community with whom they can share tips. Whereas,
residents of Los Angeles and Denver say it is more challenging to know who to
go to in their cities.
Because most Americans aren't sure where to go in their communities for
practical advice, it's no surprise they don't seek common-sense advice very
often.

Common Sense Tour
That helps explain why SCOTT Brand created the Common Sense Community in
2004, an online resource for everyday common-sense tips and information. The
web site, http://www.ScottCommonSense.com , has become so popular that SCOTT
decided to turn this "virtual" forum into reality by hitting the road with an
interactive experience.
The House that Common Sense Built is a traveling home that brings the
everyday common-sense solutions from the online community to life. Just like
the Common Sense Community, people can discover and share useful common-sense
solutions that will improve their everyday life and common sense. The House
and the online community offer:

-- Time-saving strategies that create room for the things you love
-- Easy organizing solutions that take only 10 - minutes
-- Neat and clean tips that'll save time on big cleaning tasks
-- Healthful hints that improve your mind, body and soul

Inside the House that Common Sense Built, people can visit four rooms:
the living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Each room provides a sharing
space where unique common-sense tips are exchanged, building and strengthening
common sense across the country.

About SCOTT(R) Products
SCOTT Products, including paper tissues, towels and napkins, is one of the
largest manufacturers of tissues and napkins in the world. It is part of the
Kimberly-Clark Corporation family of global brands, which play an
indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day,
1.3 billion people -- nearly a quarter of the world's population -- trust
K-C's brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene
and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex(R), Scott(R), Huggies(R), Pull-
Ups(R), Kotex(R) and Depend(R), Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share
position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and
to learn more about the company's 133-year history of innovation, visit
http://www.kimberly-clark.com .