60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll: The Perfect Man

Welcome to the 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll for July 2013. What is man? Philosophers and sages have been fascinated by this question for thousands of years. This month's poll delves into the question and actually dares to ask what is the perfect man? What qualities and characteristics make a good man or a man good? The converse is also explored, what qualities (or lack thereof) make a man flawed? What do you think? Please weigh in with your opinions. And now the results...

Seven out of 10 Americans believe that a mother has a lot of control in the process of trying to make her son the "perfect man." Nine percent actually think she has full control, 14 percent said very little control and four percent think she has no control at all. One of the 1950s most popular TV shows was called "Father Knows Best," but when it comes to molding boys and young men toward becoming the perfect man, a great majority of Americans say Mother knows best.

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According to 35 percent of Americans, as a young man matures, it is most important that he become well-educated. Close behind that was a hard worker (28 percent), and a gentleman (27 percent). Five percent said willing to talk about feelings and only one percent said a good athlete. So to all of you well educated, hard working and gentlemanly men out there, fear not, you are still in great demand just like you have always been.

Forty-six percent of Americans think that an otherwise good man is most flawed when he is drunk. Twenty-one percent said angry, 12 percent scared, eight percent sick and three percent horny.

Two-thirds of Americans know that when a man is drunk or angry he has often lost control of his better angels. Everyone has flaws, but a good rule of thumb in those situations is to get to bed and start fresh the next day.

There's an old saying, life begins at 40, and 23 percent of Americans think that is a good age to determine whether a man has been successful. Next up were the age of 30 (18 percent), 50 (14 percent) and retirement (15 percent). Twenty-three percent chose that it's only right to make that judgment at the end of a man's life. The term successful used to be measured by the money or social status one had gained. That measure is losing currency in favor of the success brought about by the friendship, love and joy that one gives and receives along the way. The sum total of those riches keep accumulating until you're on your deathbed and beyond.

Six out of 10 Americans describe a married man having a midlife crisis as a poor excuse for bad behavior. Twenty-one percent think it is a biological necessity and 10 percent would blame it on a young, sexy single woman at work. The classic examples of buying a sports car or getting a young girlfriend are cliched. A midlife crisis usually happens unexpectedly, like when you're shaving in the mirror one day and it dawns on you that you're not going to be president of the United States and your best days may be in the rear view mirror.

Eve gets 43 percent of the blame for getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden while Adam only gets 27 percent. Thirty percent weren't sure so we'll call that equal blame. It's an old story about mankind's fall from grace in a paradise known as Earth. But when you consider some of the things we've done since then, Eve's eating the apple doesn't seem so terrible.

Sixty-three percent disagree with the statement "Chivalry is dead" while 28 percent agree. In medieval times a knight took a vow to protect the weak while being gallant, courteous, honorable and ever truthful. Talk about aspiring to be the perfect man. Think about the millions of little acts of human kindness and charity that happen every day in our cities and towns that can be traced to those noble ideals.

Of the four choices for best pickup line, 31 percent chose "Do you have a map? I just got lost in your eyes." Nineteen percent picked "I seem to have lost my phone number. Could I borrow yours?" Seventeen percent fell for "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" Only eight percent went with "You must be Jamaican..." and 25 percent wouldn't fall for any of them.

Twenty-two percent of American women think that the perfect man should be as smart as they are. Twelve percent would prefer that he be smarter. Four percent said less smart and one percent went with dumb but good looking. But it's tough to fool the ladies, 60 percent were smart enough to say there is no such thing as the perfect man.

Among women in a committed relationship, 29 percent would change her man's temper. Eleven percent said his friends, nine percent chose his mother, eight percent picked his sense of humor, seven percent would change his physique and two percent think his hygiene stinks. A third of American women wouldn't change any of those things (or don't know) which should be very encouraging to a lot of the guys out there.

This month's fantasy question offers an interesting array of potential TV husbands to choose from. Twenty-nine percent of the ladies would marry McDreamy from "Grey's Anatomy" proving that some old fashioned stereotypes still exist (mothers that say "you should marry a nice doctor"). Thirteen percent would cop a ride with Frank Reagan, the handsome and honorable police commissioner from "Blue Bloods." Eight percent would fancy marrying Matthew Crawley from "Downton Abbey," followed by four percent for Jack Donaghy from "30 Rock," three percent for Rob Stark from "Game of Thrones" and finally three percent for that "Mad Man" Don Draper. A whopping 41 percent said they didn't know or would have none of them. Today's TV characters have outsized and sometimes complicated personalities, not necessarily the ideal for wedded bliss.