NEW YORK (Reuters) - Using the familiar marketing ploy of ''do a product survey and guess whose product wins,'' paper giant Kimberly-Clark Corp. has conducted a survey aimed at discovering "the small, but important, conveniences of the 20th century that most people take for granted, but can't live without.''

To investigate this burning issue, it commissioned a national survey of 1,000 people, sponsored by its Kleenex Cottonelle Toilet Paper brand. It asked participants to identify the one item they would most like to have if stranded on a deserted island.

Guess what won. Are you sitting down?

And the winner is ... Toilet paper!

"If feeling clean is important to you, you're not alone,'' said a news release announcing the less-than-astounding results.

It noted that 49 percent of those surveyed chose toilet paper as their greatest deserted island necessity, followed by food, which was favored by 31 percent, even though it would appear to be a prerequisite for needing No. 1.

The Dallas-based company said that when the issue was presented slightly differently, as in "... What small convenience of the 20th century is most taken for granted?...'' a whopping 69 percent voted for t-p, followed by the zipper (42 percent), and frozen foods (38 percent). With another oft-forgotten convenience, electricity, readily available, the fondness was for "frozen foods'' rather than just any nourishing sustenance.

As if all of the above wasn't enticing enough, Kimberly-Clark couldn't resist delving further into Americans' ''strong feelings -- as well as interesting habits -- when it comes to toilet paper.''

The survey also found that a majority of respondents (68 percent) like their toilet paper hung with the first sheet coming OVER the roll, while 25 percent favored UNDER.

Not stopping there, the toilet-paper probers also found that 58 percent of those surveyed admitted to folding the paper after they tear it off the roll, while "35 percent weren't as neat, opting to scrunch the tissue.''

Admitting that toilet paper may not be "top-of-mind for many people,'' the company said the folks at Kimberly-Clark ''think about toilet paper every day and the important role it plays in everyone's lives.''

By the way -- that, they said, is why they developed "a totally new technology to produce KLEENEX COTTONELLE with Cushy ripples, a product designed to enhance the clean, fresh feeling.''

It said the texture is the result of a patented technology that dries the tissue during the manufacturing process without compressing or embossing it. "This method, designed to clean better, permits the tissue to hold its rippled shape when wet,'' it added.

With its news release on the survey results, Kimberly-Clark also presented a brief history of toilet paper. But that's another story.