I saw this piece?on Kindness in Australia at Australian Women Online and wanted to share this reseach with you.?
"Social Researcher Mark McCrindle discusses the research on altruism and kindness in 21st Century Australia. This research focused on acts of kindness and set out to ascertain Australians? experiences of giving and receiving.
"Mark McCrindle found that not only are we willing to help strangers in need, but acts of kindness far outnumber acts of violence. In the age old battle between good and evil, good deeds far outweigh evil doings, as for every act of violence to a stranger, there are 38 acts of kindness towards fellow Australians.
"How often do we help?:
"86% of Australians say they have helped a stranger in need, while 27% or 4.68 million say they show kindness every day and a further 29%, several times a week. T
"What is it that we do to help?
"McCrindle asked respondents what they did to help strangers. These are the top 5 categories of kindness:
"1. Help with shopping - 78% of Australians have helped a stranger when shopping such as picking up dropped items, or carrying someone?s bags. "2. Help at an emergency ? 54% of Australians have assisted a stranger who has been involved in a fall, medical emergency or road accident etc. "3. Help a stranger to gain access or mobility ? 51% of Australians have helped a stranger up stairs, across a road or to reach an item etc. "4. Comfort a stranger - 49% of Australians have assisted a stranger who was visibly upset. "5. Help with money ? 32.5% of Australians have given money to a stranger who was short on cash.
"We even help those who don?t need help!
- "61.5% Australians say they have done something nice for a stranger ?just for the sake of being kind? ? not because they were in any obvious need.?
- "Most of these (90%) said they would look to doing something nice for a stranger in no particular need in the future.
"How many of us have been shown kindness? "39% of Aussies say they have been shown kindness by a stranger in the past week (from having a door held open or dropped items picked up), while more than 1 in 4 say they have been shown significant kindness by a stranger in the last week, such as being driven somewhere, given something, or have had a stranger go out of their way to help.
?"What motivates Australians to perform good deeds?
- "Altruism: 49.5% are motivated out of a sense of good will ? ?if somebody is in need I have to help out?.
- "Delight: 38.5% of Australians lend a helping hand to a stranger simply because of the joy they receive in putting a smile on another?s face!
- "God/belief in after-life: Only 8% perform good deeds because of religious beliefs.
"Who do we help?
"Australians are most likely to help the elderly (93%), children (63.5%) and women with children (30%). We are not as likely to approach a struggling dad (only 12%) and are more likely to come to the aid of someone of our own gender, while 42% say they would help out someone of their own ethnic group/culture first.
"Sources: McCrindle Research. "Research method:National survey of 2500 Australians by McCrindle Research."
(To read the entire article go to Australian Women Online.)
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