SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Why are people still referring to San Francisco as ‘San Fran’?

According to a new survey, more than half of Americans are still saying ‘San Fran’ and about a quarter of them continue to say it because they “like that locals hate it.”

Bospar, a San Francisco-based Public Relations Firm, released the results from its fourth annual San Francisco Naming Day survey.

This month about 1,000 people were surveyed. This showed that 56.5% of Americans use the term ‘San Fran’ — Last year, about 59.5% said they used it.

In addition, the survey revealed that 28.4% understood that San Franciscans hate the ‘San Fran’ moniker, while 71.6% reported that they were unaware of the Bay Area sensitivity.

Once they learned that San Francisco residents don’t like the term, 73.6% said that they will stop using it.

Of those who say they will continue to say ‘San Fran’:

  • 31.9% said “it doesn’t matter anyway”
  • 25.5% said they “like that locals hate it”
  • 24% said they were “hearing ‘San Fran’ on conservative news programming”
  • 18.6% said they preferred it because they “think it’s shorter”

“It really surprises me that a majority of people continue to say ‘San Fran,’ even though we locals loathe that expression. We remain hopeful that when educated as to how citizens of San Francisco feel about the term, most people will call our fair city by its proper and respectful name. Although there is only a slight decline in the use of ‘San Fran,’ we aren’t giving up. Change is often slow-going, but these survey results illuminate the potential and power of communications, as well as the potential to change hearts and minds as PR practitioners, even when it’s something as simple as pointing out the use of our city’s proper name,” Bospar principal Curtis Sparrer said.

And it doesn’t stop there — Even airlines are guilty of using ‘San Fran.’ The survey results revealed that the major airlines heard using it include:

  • American Airlines: 11%
  • Southwest: 6.4%
  • United: 5.6%
  • Delta: 4.9%

On the bright side for the Bay Area, the survey also revealed that 41.7% are hearing the term less than last year.