Fifteen facts about speaking at weddings and funerals. Each one links to the public source it comes from, so you can check it or quote it.
Speaking in public is one of the most common fears people report. How common depends on how the question is asked, and of whom.
Fact 1
28.9%
In 2026, 28.9% of American adults said they were afraid or very afraid of public speaking.
The year before, in the same survey, it was 33.7%.
Chapman University, Survey of American Fears, Wave 12April 2026 · 1,221 US adults · margin of error 3.79 points
Fact 2
21.2%
Public speaking is the most common social fear in the US. 21.2% of adults have had it at some point in their lives.
Speaking up in a meeting or class came next, at 19.5%. The figures come from a national study of mental health.
Ruscio and others, Psychological Medicine, 2008. National Comorbidity Survey Replication2001 to 2003 · 9,282 US adults
Fact 3
1 in 3
One in three adults in a community survey said they felt excessive anxiety when speaking to a large audience.
For 10%, it got in the way of their work, social life or study, or caused them marked distress. The survey was by telephone, in Winnipeg, Canada.
Stein, Walker and Forde, Archives of General Psychiatry, 19961996 · 499 adults · Winnipeg, Canada
Fact 4
74%
In the same survey, 74% named their mind going blank as a worry about speaking in public.
Only one worry was named more often: trembling or showing other signs of nerves, at 80%. The published summary doesn't say whether these shares are of everyone surveyed or only of the anxious third.
Stein, Walker and Forde, Archives of General Psychiatry, 19961996 · 499 adults · Winnipeg, Canada
Advice on length comes from etiquette writers, wedding planners and funeral directors. It changes with the speech and the country.
Wedding toast1 to 2, at most 3 · US
Best manAbout 5 · UK
Groom6 to 8 · UK
Father of the bride7 to 9 · UK
Eulogy5 to 10 · UK
Eulogy2 to 8 or 10 · US
Fact 5
1 to 2min
The best wedding toasts last a minute or two, and three at most, by US etiquette advice.
The same advice says a toast can be just a few lines.
Emily Post Institute, Guide to Wedding Dinner ToastsEtiquette advice · US
Fact 6
5min
Around five minutes is the advised length for a best man speech in the UK.
The same guide suggests 6 to 8 minutes for the groom, and 7 to 9 for the father of the bride. The groom's speech should last no longer than 10 minutes.
Bridebook, How Long Should a Wedding Speech Be?Updated 8 October 2026 · wedding planning advice · UK
Fact 7
20 to 30min
All the speeches at a UK wedding usually take 20 to 30 minutes together, and should take no more than 40.
Bridebook, How Long Should a Wedding Speech Be?Updated 8 October 2026 · wedding planning advice · UK
Fact 8
5 to 10min
The ideal eulogy is five to ten minutes long when spoken aloud, says the UK's National Association of Funeral Directors.
Most funeral services last 30 to 45 minutes in all, by the same guide. That time may also hold music, readings, prayers and a second eulogy.
National Association of Funeral Directors, How to Write a EulogyTrade body advice · UK
Fact 9
8 to 10min
A eulogy should run no longer than eight to ten minutes, and no less than two, by US etiquette advice.
The more eulogies there are, the shorter each one should be.
Emily Post Institute, Giving a EulogyEtiquette advice · US
Fact 10
150wpm
The average English speaker talks at about 150 words a minute. A college speech guide suggests aiming a little slower, at about 140.
At 140 words a minute, a five-minute speech is about 700 words. A speech length check counts the words in a draft you paste in.
Baruch College, Tools for Clear Speech, Speaking RateUniversity guidance · US
No public survey counts how many people read a speech from a phone. The closest figures count who carries one.
Fact 11
91%
91% of US adults own a smartphone.
Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact SheetJanuary to June 2026 · 5,511 US adults
Fact 12
88%
88% of Australians aged 75 and over used a mobile phone to go online in 2025, up from 18% in 2017.
Across all Australian adults, the figure was 97%.
Australian Communications and Media Authority, How we use the internetPublished February 2026 · 2025 data · Australia
The UK's National Association of Funeral Directors advises writing a eulogy down and reading from a printed script. Its guide doesn't mention phones.
Counts from government statistics offices, and from the largest yearly survey of US weddings.
Fact 13
2,041,926
2,041,926 marriages were recorded in the US in 2023. That's about 5,600 a day.
Australia registered 118,804 marriages in 2025, by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The daily figure is the yearly count divided by 365.
CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats: Marriage and DivorceProvisional 2023 data · US
Fact 14
3,072,666
3,072,666 deaths were recorded in the US in 2024. That's about 8,400 a day.
England and Wales registered 570,988 deaths in 2025, by the Office for National Statistics. The daily figure is the yearly count divided by 366, as 2024 was a leap year.
CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats: Deaths and Mortality2024 data · US
Fact 15
117
The average US wedding in 2025 had 117 guests, down from 131 in 2019.
The couples surveyed were members of The Knot and WeddingWire, so they chose to take part.
The Knot Worldwide, 2026 Real Weddings StudyWeddings in 2025 · 10,474 US couples · data readout
Often repeated
The line goes back to a 1973 survey that asked people to tick which of 14 fears they had. Public speaking was ticked most often. The survey didn't ask people to rank their fears, so it couldn't say which was stronger.a
In 2012, researchers at the University of Nebraska Omaha asked 815 students to rank their fears. Death came first.a
Chapman University's survey moves from year to year. In 2026, 30.3% of Americans feared dying and 28.9% feared public speaking. In 2025 it was the other way round, at 28.6% and 33.7%. In both years, half or more feared the death of someone they love: 50.6% in 2026 and 55.3% in 2025.b
Gallup's 2001 poll is also often quoted. It put snakes first, at 51%, and public speaking second, at 40%. Death wasn't on its list.c
Public speaking is one of the most common fears people report. Which fear comes first changes with the question and the year.
KIOS, Omaha Public Radio, Death or public speaking? UNO researchers revisit a 1973 study on the number one fear, 17 July 2012. A report on Dwyer and Davidson, Communication Research Reports, 2012. The journal's own summary couldn't be opened.
Chapman University, Survey of American Fears, Wave 12 (2026) and Wave 11 (2025). Share of adults afraid or very afraid.
Gallup, Snakes Top List of Americans' Fears, 19 March 2001. 1,016 US adults, 19 to 21 February 2001.
Every figure here was checked against its source on 1 November 2026. Where a page gave a range or a caveat, it's included. Surveys run by speechwriting companies, or published without a method, were left out. None of these facts come from Lectern or the people who use it.
You're welcome to quote any fact on this page. Each one has its own link, and Copy citation gives you the fact, its source and that link. Please cite the original source.
Lectern, Wedding speech and eulogy facts, lecternspeech.com/guides/wedding-speech-and-eulogy-facts/, checked 1 November 2026.
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