[The thing is it's not even about the survey so much as it's about Newt having made the survey with a genuine earnest desire for people to get to know each other, and his hangups about people making fun of it. He doesn't know how to be defensive on his own behalf, but he can have a little defensiveness for someone else's sake, as a treat.]

Understanding takes time and more shared experiences than some books, sure. But it's a place to start finding common ground. It's not as though people are generally willing to bare their soul to strangers right off the bat.