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A Joybird survey of more than 2,800 U.S. adults found that snooping in private rooms, closets, drawers or cabinets was the houseguest behavior respondents most often called rude. The poll also found support for basic courtesies such as asking about shoes, sharing dietary restrictions in advance and offering to help clean up.
A Joybird survey of more than 2,800 U.S. adults found that snooping through a host’s private rooms, closets, drawers or cabinets was the behavior most often named as rude at someone else’s home. Sixty-one percent of respondents identified it as their top houseguest pet peeve, according to results reported by Apartment Therapy, offering a clear warning ahead of the busy season for home gatherings.
Joybird, a furniture company, polled adults across generations from Gen Z to Baby Boomers in June and July 2026. Its survey asked what Americans expect from guests and grouped results under topics including basic guest etiquette, household rules and behaviors respondents considered rude. The figures are survey responses, not a measure of how often these behaviors occur in real-life gatherings.
Snooping led the list across the generations surveyed. The poll also found that 62% said guests should keep their phones away during most of a visit. More than half of respondents, regardless of generation, said guests should never discuss someone’s appearance or weight, according to Apartment Therapy’s account of the findings.
Other behaviors respondents identified as rude included arriving while ill, cited by 41%; speaking badly about the host’s home, food or decor, cited by 37%; breaking something without offering to work out a replacement, cited by 32%; and bringing a pet without giving the host notice, cited by 27%. The report also listed excessive drinking, bringing children to an adults-only event, inviting an unapproved guest and arriving very late without notice as potential faux pas, but did not provide percentages for those items.
Respecting a Host’s Private Space
The leading result points to a straightforward boundary: being invited into a home does not mean a guest has permission to explore every part of it. Private rooms, drawers and cabinets may contain personal belongings, and opening them without permission can breach a host’s privacy. The survey gives hosts and guests a practical point of reference, though it cannot establish that every respondent—or every household—shares the same rules.
The findings also suggest that etiquette expectations vary by topic and generation. For example, the report said 67% of Boomers thought guests should avoid politics and 62% of Boomers said the same of religion. Among Gen Z respondents, the corresponding figures were 39% and 33%. Those differences matter when guests do not know their hosts well, but the figures describe survey answers rather than a universal rule about conversation.
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What the 2026 Poll Asked
Apartment Therapy reported the results as part of a feature on houseguest etiquette ahead of the holiday gathering season. The source describes the study as Joybird’s 2026 home etiquette survey, based on responses from more than 2,800 people nationwide. It does not give a full account of the poll’s methodology, including how participants were recruited or how responses were weighted.
Alongside the behaviors respondents wanted guests to avoid, the report said a majority favored several considerate habits: asking whether to remove shoes, informing the host of dietary restrictions before the event, offering to bring something, helping with cleanup and leaving well before the gathering is over. These suggestions were presented as broad survey findings; the article did not give individual percentages for them.
“what Americans expect from guests”
— Joybird, as quoted in the survey description reported by Apartment Therapy
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Limits of the Survey Findings
The reported figures reflect what survey participants said, and the available source material does not include the full questionnaire, recruitment method, margin of error or weighting details. It is not clear whether the results represent the views of all U.S. adults. The reported 61% identifies respondents’ top pet peeve; it should not be read as the share of guests who snoop.
The source also does not specify how respondents interpreted phrases such as keeping a phone away “during most of a visit” or arriving “more than 15 minutes late.” Apartment Therapy reported that 40% considered being more than 15 minutes late acceptable, but the material does not explain whether that answer depended on advance notice, the type of gathering or other circumstances. The survey cannot determine how hosts will respond in a particular situation.
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Full Results and Practical Etiquette
Apartment Therapy directed readers to Joybird’s full study for additional results, but the material provided here does not state whether the company plans to publish further analysis or conduct another survey. For guests planning a visit, the reported findings point to a simple approach: respect closed doors and storage spaces, ask about household preferences, give notice about dietary needs or extra guests, and tell the host if plans change.
Where expectations are uncertain, asking the host is more reliable than assuming a rule applies. The poll offers a snapshot of respondents’ preferences; individual hosts may set different boundaries, and the report does not establish a single etiquette standard for every home or event.
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Key Questions
What did respondents identify as the rudest houseguest behavior?
Snooping in private rooms, closets, drawers or cabinets topped the Joybird survey’s list. Apartment Therapy reported that 61% of respondents named it as their number-one pet peeve.
How many people took part in the survey?
Joybird polled more than 2,800 people nationwide in June and July 2026, according to Apartment Therapy. The provided report does not give details about recruitment or weighting.
Did the survey say guests should keep phones away?
Yes. The report said 62% of respondents thought guests should keep their phones away during most of a visit. It did not define precisely what “most” means.
What are some other behaviors respondents called rude?
The report listed arriving while ill, criticizing the host’s home, food or decor, breaking something without offering to address it, and bringing a pet without notice. It reported figures of 41%, 37%, 32% and 27%, respectively.
What does the survey recommend guests do?
According to Apartment Therapy’s summary, a majority favored asking about shoes, sharing dietary restrictions before the event, offering to bring something, helping clean up and leaving well before the gathering ends. The article did not provide percentages for these preferences.
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