For some, tipping is an extremely touchy topic. We’ve all been out to restaurants with friends only to learn that they tip like Ebenezer Scrooge or put our tipping practices to shame.

I routinely tipped 15 percent until I worked at a restaurant. I’m a faithful 20 percent tipper today, unless my kids have ground rice into the rug and thrown crayons (25 percent) or the server is rude or terribly incompetent (15 percent).

I was surprised to learn this morning that more than two-thirds of Americans recently surveyed said they will leave no tip when service is bad. I wouldn’t dare.

A survey out today by market research firm Synovate found 98 percent of Americans regularly tip and more than half tip wait staff between 15 and 20 percent.

The extensive survey asked more than 6,800 people in 10 countries (Brazil Canada Hong Kong Indonesia Russia Serbia France Spain UK US) about tipping behavior. I think understanding tipping behavior while visiting another country is as important as carrying a map.
Globally, about a third of all consumers leave a 10 to 15 percent tip. Fifteen percent of all consumers will usually leave less than 10 percent of the bill, 14% will leave between 15 to 20 percent of the bill, and 36% don’t base the amount of their tip on the final bill.

Americans are the highest tippers according to the survey. Russians were the least generous, generally leaving less than 10 percent of a bill.
Here’s who Americans tip: Waiters (97%), bell hops (97%), haristylists (79%).

In Indonesia, citizens are more likely to tip a handyman than a waiter. The majority of consumers in Serbia and Brazil would tip handymen too. Only 7 percent of Americans would tip a handyman, survey says.

I must admit to feeling like we are becoming a society that tips too much. Does the barista handing me a black coffee deserve my change more than a drive through worker at McDonalds? I don’t know. How to tip? Who to tip?

Synovate found more than half of Americans often feel pressured to leave a tip when they don’t want to. Relate?