There are millions of neckties hanging or folded unused in the United States, with a Gallup poll showing just 6 percent of men wearing them to work anymore.

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That's a 4 percent decline since 2002 and dismal news for tie-makers, as almost 70 percent of men said they don't ever wear a tie for any reason, the Chicago Sun-Times reported from New York Thursday.

As open-necked shirts grew in popularity, the Neckwear Association of America changed its name to the Men's Dress Furnishings Association in 2003. Its executive director, Gerald Andersen, told the newspaper about 85 million ties are still sold in the United States each year, but they're going to the highest level of executives.

Wearing a raspberry necktie with a paisley pattern for the interview, Andersen blamed such social changes as "casual Fridays" and the Internet, which reduced face-to-face business, for the slump in need and popularity for the necktie.