Report From Verizon and Nextdoor Measures Kindness Across America

22 Nov 2022

How considerate are Americans toward their neighbors? And what are the most thoughtful things you can do for your neighbors? Verizon collaborated with Nextdoor and commissioned a new academic study with Kindness.org to build on research completed last year to examine how kindness in America has changed and how kindness affects neighborhoods.

What were the outcomes? Americans are very nice to their neighbors and appreciate the impact they have on their lives. They had an 86% ‘kindness quotient,’ which means they care 86% as much about their neighbors as they do about themselves. (They also reported that their neighbors had a 72% kindness quotient toward them.) For example:

94% of people would return a misplaced item to a neighbor.

61% of people say they would forgive a neighbor’s debt.

41% of people say they would adopt the child of a deceased neighbor.

The average American would give up $7.60 to ensure that a neighbor received $10.

When asked what emotion or feeling they associate with their neighbors, the top-scoring responses were ‘happy’ (63%) and ‘grateful’ (61%).

The study also discovered that neighborly kindness was the best predictor of individual happiness, satisfaction with one’s neighborhood, identification with one’s neighbors, and a sense of belonging to one’s neighborhood.

“We asked 10,000 people from all 50 states what kind acts they would perform for their neighbors,” Dr. Oliver Scott Curry, Chief Science Officer for Kindness.org, explained. “Overall, our findings revealed a surprisingly high capacity for kindness across the United States.” And it demonstrates that kindness is an important component of creating better communities.”

There was no significant difference in the magnitude of kindness between the 50 states, but Georgia ranked first on the new leaderboard because it had the kindest neighbors overall.

The Top 10 States with the Friendliest Neighbors

1. Georgia

2. Tennessee

3. North Carolina

4. Arkansas

5. Utah

6. Louisiana

7. West Virginia

8. Mississippi

9. Texas

10. Nebraska

Verizon and Nextdoor commemorated National Neighbor Day in September by releasing a study that identified the most impactful acts of kindness you can perform for your neighbors. The following are some of the most frequently mentioned actions that people appreciated the most.

Top 10 Neighborly Acts of Kindness

1. Pay for a neighbor’s groceries at the grocery store.

2. Make a monetary donation to a neighbor.

3. Give diapers to a neighbor.

4. Purchase additional school supplies for a neighbor.

5. Remind a neighbor that they are important.

6. Accept your neighbor for who they are.

7. Organize or participate in local park and beach cleanups.

8. Tell a neighbor how they made a difference in someone else’s life.

9. Mow a neighbor’s lawn.

10. Surprise a neighbor by bringing them their favorite items.

Krista Bourne, chief operating officer of Verizon Consumer Group, remarked “The results of this research remind us that a simple act of kindness needn’t cost much but can make a huge impact on someone, whether you are at home, at work or in your neighborhood. Our #ACallForKindness campaign provides the resources that everyone can use to help make the world a kinder place.”

“We are thrilled to partner with leading companies like Nextdoor and Verizon who are betting big on kindness and working to help communities thrive,” said Jaclyn Lindsey, co-founder and CEO for kindness.org. “This research validates the work being done and shows how we can have an even greater impact in building a kinder world.”

Visit the Nextdoor Insights Hub at https://business.nextdoor.com/en-us/enterprise/insights to read more about the Kindness.org study commissioned by Nextdoor and Verizon.

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