What percentage of the public actually carry a knife?

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NOT ENOUGH!!!!! Always borrowing mine dammit...😉...
Just kidding.... I love that everyone who knows me knows that I'm a knife tard.......They seek me out!!!
 
I think I've been carrying a knife on a regular basis since I was six years old. Like most people here, my first knife was given to me by my father. He was definitely not a knife person, but he was a good scout and hunter, and he believed that the knife was a very important tool. He owned three knives throughout his life: a Swiss Army knife, a handmade slip joint, and a handmade hunting knife. He never carried a knife in his daily life. On the contrary, I usually carry two knives and a multitool. This number does not include the push dagger I carry as a neck knife, or the Swiss card I carry in my wallet, etc. The point I'm trying to make is that you can't tell if someone is carrying a knife or not. My father was an educated man and thought that carrying a knife in everyday life was unacceptable. I never agreed with him. I think in order to understand the level of knife carrying in a place, we need to look at the level of education, culture and daily routine of that country. I don't think Bladeforum reflects the majority of society. İn this place knife is melted into the same pot as a tool and an accessory. The technique, the history and the art of the knife are studied and discussed. Knife is considered as an intellectual pursuit. but in the eyes of the masses, knife is a weapon or a simple, insignificant tool, so carrying a knife generally has a negative perception, this is especially the case in European countries, the laws are made in a way that makes it difficult to carry a knife, that's why I think the rate of carrying knives is low in society, unlike here. Maybe it's incredibly common in some states in America, but I don't think that's the case for the rest of the world. Tere are places where it's a tradition (for example, in some Middle Eastern countries, people carry Jambiya-style knives at all times), and in some places it's a necessity. Such places should not be included.
 
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We recently went to Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. One food vendor had steak and chicken kabobs. Big chunks of meat, but they only supplied forks - no knives. I looked around the picnic area - almost everyone had a pocket knife cutting their meat. It was a comforting thing to see.
 
I only read the first page and I think that the OP was asking a totally different question. Not how many knives WE do carry, or how many of us carry only ONE knife...

Out of the current adult population in my city, I bet that less than 0,5% carry a knife in a regular basis. Rural areas are different, and people enjoying outdoor activities are likely to carry one or several.

Mikel
 
Here in rural Missouri, most - nearly all - men have a knife of some sort on them. A lot of women, including my wife have a knife in their purse or on a keychain. So I'm going with 75% locally.
 
We can guess about it, but that stat will never be surveyed accurately.

You acn pretty much figure that 90% to 100% of trade workers will carry. Same for agricultural workers.

How many white collar folks in down ton offices or working from home . . .not a clue, but its probably low.

Hospital or health care workers generally use scissors, but I arly did. My at work EEC when doing diagnostic imaging in a major teching hospital was always a Buck 110 or later on, a Leatherman Wave.
 
Male 18+ age group in Louisiana, rural and urban, I would guess 55% carry at least 1 knife daily. Female same group 20%. The only fact I am certain of is my wife and I both carry 2 knives daily.
 
It’s going to vary widely by location.

My old suburb in PA, I’d say almost no one carried any kind of knife. Even the Boy Scouts (not exactly Being Prepared, in my view). In rural CT where I grew up, almost everyone had a folder at all times.

It should probably go without saying, but I’ve always carry at least a small folder or fixed blade anywhere I legally could (still do). I also try like heck to avoid places I can’t.
 
I live in a suburb of Nashville, TN and work in an office environment. More people than not carry knives around me. It's weird to see an adult male without a knife clipped to their pocket, and I know quite a few ladies that carry them too. But TN has very knife friendly laws. Basically you can carry any knife you can own, and we don't have restrictions on what you can own. In East TN large fixed blades and open carried pistols are common sights.
 
I wish everyone carried a knife, but sadly I find this not the case. Most of the guys I hang out with do, but I have been in situations where I heard someone ask for a knife to open a box, cut a sting, etc. while in a store and no one had one. I carry at least two knives with me and have a few in each vehicle as well.
 
A.L. said:
And nobody read/understood the OP's question
Click to expand...
I read and understood , but because I too lack "X-ray vision" , it's hard to know exactly how common knife carry is from causal observation . ;)

In my locale , still fairly well accepted and prevalent ...and less hidden .

In the cities , less common and more concealed if carried , I expect .
 
I think it depends on where you go, the local culture, and how many people in the area do blue collar work. The small town in Ga where I grew up in, most of the people I knew carried a knife of some sort (mostly SAK or small trad folders). When I lived in San Diego about 20 years ago, I didn't see them very often off of base. Up in Alaska, most people I met at least had a keyring knife or SAK, but also saw a lot of pocket clips. As a nationwide percentage, I have no clue. I'd estimate at least 50%, if keyring SAK blades, multitools, and folding box cutters count.
 
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