What Do Shopping, Planning A Vacation And Filing Taxes Have In Common? That's Easy, Survey Says

A Good Time To Be A Guy
Men are more likely than women to think life is getting easier (34 percent versus 22 percent).

Life Gets Easier With Age
People 65 and older are more likely than people between the ages of 18 and 24 to say life is getting easier (34 percent versus 22 percent).

Maybe I Should Study To Be A Manager…
People in managerial positions are most likely to say life is getting easier (39 percent), while almost all students surveyed say it's getting harder (94 percent).

Easy Does It
Forty-two (42) percent of all people surveyed say their professional/work life is getting easier and 63 percent say their personal/family life is getting easier.

*Who Says Guys Don't Like Shopping?
Men are slightly more likely than women to say shopping has gotten easier (80 percent versus 75 percent).

Ante Up
More people say it's easier to understand the rules for Texas Hold 'Em (58 percent) than it is to understand their car insurance policy (42 percent).

Can I Take My Policy For A Test Drive?
More people say it's easier to shop for a new car than it is to shop for car insurance (65 percent versus 35 percent, respectively).

EZ Filing
People think it's easier to file income taxes (68 percent) than it is to buy a new auto insurance policy (51 percent).

*Gadget Guys
Men are two times more likely than women to say electronic organizers (e.g., PDAs) make life easier (24 percent versus 12 percent).

Technology Can't Do It All
People say technology makes their professional/work life easier (54 percent), but their workload makes it harder (64 percent).

The Digital Revolution Helps — To A Point
Of people who say the Internet and desktop computers make life easier, more than half (58 percent, respectively) still say their professional/work life is getting harder. Both groups agreed that workload and increased competition makes it so.

Ties That Bind
Having friends and family close by makes personal/family life easier (74 percent), but coordinating schedules makes it harder (69 percent).

Talk Is Cheap
A whopping 71 percent of people who say cell phones make life easier say that coordinating schedules makes their personal life harder.

Thanks, Boss!
People who say their professional/work life is getting easier say the top two reasons are technology (54 percent) and their relationship with their boss (41 percent).

Family, Friends and Gadgets
Of those who say their personal/family life is getting easier, the top two reasons are family and friends being close by (74 percent) and technology (29 percent).

"Significant" Help
Many people say their significant other makes life easier for them (45 percent), but they say their children make life harder (17 percent).

Father Knows Best
Single respondents are nearly five times more likely than married respondents to say their parents make life easier (24 percent versus 5 percent).

Me, Myself And I
When given the chance to write in their own answer, some say they make their own lives easier ("Myself"). Others say politicians and the government make their lives harder.

Family Ties
People are four times more likely to say it's easier to spend time with family members than work colleagues (80 percent versus 20 percent).

Love The One You're With
Whether life or work is getting easier depends on the people you're with. People who say it's easier to spend time with work colleagues are most likely to say their professional/work life is easier than personal/family life (44 percent versus 35 percent). People who say it's easier to spend time with family members are most likely to say their personal/family life is easier than professional/work life (70 percent versus 41 percent).

That Special Someone Can Only Do So Much
Of people who say their significant other makes life easier, 30 percent say their personal/family life is getting harder.

Bundle Of Joy?
Of people who say their children make life harder, only 22 percent say life is getting easier. The majority (78 percent) say life is harder.

Too Much Geek Lingo
When asked why they think auto insurance is difficult to understand , the largest percentage of people say "it's too confusing — only a geek would understand" (40 percent). Others say it's difficult because they've got "too much going on" in their life to pay much attention (29 percent) and their "policy is too long" (24 percent).

Busy And Confused
Younger respondents (aged 18 to 24) say insurance is difficult to understand because they have "too much going on" in their life to pay much attention (52 percent), while older respondents (65 and older) say it's just "too confusing" (51 percent).

Patience Is A Virtue
Of those who think filing a car insurance claim is difficult, 36 percent say it's because "you need the patience of a saint." Other reasons include not knowing "the first thing about managing car repairs after an accident" (27 percent) and that "it takes too much time" (24 percent).

Too Much Information — Or Not Enough
"Information overload" is the number one reason men say shopping for auto insurance is difficult, while women say it's that they don't know what they want or need (37 percent, respectively).

Write-in answers for why people don't use insurance-related tools or services include: preferring to stay with the same carrier regardless of rate; and being too lazy to research/make a switch.