BERLIN, July 15 — When it comes to lounging on the beach in the buff, turns out that Germans and Austrians are the most comfortable with their birthday suits, according to a worldwide survey of beachgoing habits around the world.

In fact, Germans emerged the most likely to have spent a day sunbathing nude for the third year in a row in Expedia’s 2014 Flip Flop Report. New this year, Austrians tied with their German peers: amongst both groups, nearly one in three (28 per cent) respondents reported having spent a day sunbathing buck naked.

It comes as no surprise that Germany would top the list given its longstanding history with naturism. In 1903, Freilicht Park (Free-Light Park) opened near Hamburg as the world’s first organized club for nudists.

For the report, more than 11,165 adults across 24 countries were polled.

The survey also revealed a gender divide, with more men (18 per cent) than women (6 per cent) willing to shake off their skivvies.

When it comes to going topless, ladies from Austria, Spain and Germany are most likely to unhook their bras and let the girls hang out.

Asian beachgoers are typically the most modest, with only 2 per cent of Japanese, 3 per cent of South Koreans and 4 per cent of Thai beachgoers willing to disrobe in public.

Meanwhile, the survey results show a growing acceptance towards body-hugging Speedos around the world: This year, nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of beachgoers said that Speedo-style swimsuits for men are acceptable—up from 65 per cent last year.

Where the Speedo is particularly popular is Brazil, where a full 95 per cent of Brazilians gave the skimpy ‘male bikini’ a 95 per cent approval rating, followed by Austria (94 per cent), Germany and Spain (91 per cent).

Where it’s particularly unpopular is Norway, where only 40 per cent approve, followed by the US (57 per cent) and Japan (60 per cent).

Overall, more than half of respondents said they took a beach vacation in the past year, and three quarters said they intend to hit up the beach in the next 12 months. — AFP-Relaxnews