Seven in ten New Yorkers say people are less kind today than they were a decade ago, yet 97 percent describe themselves as either very or somewhat kind, according to a new Siena Research Institute (SRI) survey released Oct. 23.<\/p>\n
Ninety-two percent say they personally follow the Golden Rule \u2014 treating others as they would want to be treated \u2014 at least most of the time. But only 27 percent believe others follow it as consistently.<\/p>\n
Respondents report practicing small acts of kindness regularly, including holding doors (94%), greeting strangers (87%), checking on friends or neighbors with health issues (83%), and helping someone who appears lost or in need of assistance (79%). Nearly half (44%) say they volunteer their time for a cause, and 41 percent say they \u201cpay it forward\u201d at least occasionally.<\/p>\n
Despite these reports of personal kindness, majorities say they often witness unkind behavior. Seventy-two percent say they see people acting unkindly online, including on social media, through texting, or in emails. Sixty-nine percent report unkind behavior in traffic or on public transportation, and 55 percent say they see it in person.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span>\u201cSomething just doesn\u2019t add up,\u201d said Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute. \u201cAlmost everyone says they are kind and live by the Golden Rule, but only one in four think others do the same. People say they hold doors, help strangers, and check in on friends, yet most believe society has become less kind and see unkindness regularly \u2014 online, on the roads, and in daily interactions.\u201d<\/p>\n The survey was conducted Sept. 15\u201322 among 814 New York State residents using a combination of telephone interviews and online responses. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.<\/p>\n For more information or to view the full data summary, visit www.siena.edu\/sri or contact Don Levy at 518-783-2901 or dlevy@siena.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Seven in ten New Yorkers say people are less kind today than they were a decade ago, yet 97 percent describe themselves as either very or somewhat kind, according to a new Siena Research Institute (SRI) survey released Oct. 23. Ninety-two percent say they personally follow the Golden Rule \u2014 treating others as they would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"\r\n