Don’t know about him, but definitely male here. I was hairless at 20. Now that I’m 48, I got a lot more hair on my chest : almost a dozen around each nipple and 2 (exactly two) in the middle of my chest (that can grow quite long if I don’t shave them. I wonder how long they could eventually get).
Wow. New Jersey must have really changed in the last thirty years.
I also think it runs in family. No chest hair in mine (insert “except for your momma” joke here). Also weak facial hair, but plenty on lower torso, arms and legs. My ancestors were obviously bog fishermen.
Well, yes, it’s clearly related to genetics.
Just to note: all the studies in that Wikipedia article are from the 1960s, when waxing was not anywhere near as popular as it is today. Furthermore, as I think others have said, a sample taken at a beach is not random: people who go to the trouble of waxing will almost certainly go shirtless at the beach, while haired men (like me) may not. I wear a t-shirt at the beach, because I burn easily. So the percentage of unhaired men at a beach will be higher than that of the general population.
“Haired men”?
I’m not a “haired man”, I am a hairy man. And proud. 
For your information, the old “Google is your friend” response to questions on this board has fallen from favor.
So, you’re correcting this guy’s estimation of 99% because Wikipedia says that (according to ONE study from 1961) the actual number is closer to 94%? Wow, I can see why you’ll be in Summer School with him. Also, it was clear to me that his comment was made in jest.
Why is your underwear in a bunch? Who on earth would think that Wikipedia had an answer to this? And, even those who do, the SDMB usually goes love/hate with half despising Wikipedia, so, you seem to be quite upset for no good reason.
Since smooth is the current style, how do we know if men are lying about their chest hairiness? It’s like doing a baldness survey in Hollywood. Or asking men about penis size or number of partners…