Good Samaritan Impulse Survives

Written by Being Magazine

THE GOOD SAMARITAN IMPULSE SURVIVES – BUT COULD USE

A LITTLE HELP ITSELF, ACCORDING TO NEW GIMUNDO SURVEY

Two-Thirds of Americans Were on Receiving End of a Good Deed in the Past Year;

Poll Conducted to Mark ‘National Good News Day’

How well do Americans “love thy neighbor”? In a new Gimundo survey, nearly two-thirds of respondents said they had been on the receiving end of at least one selfless act of kindness in the past year. But one-third said they couldn’t recall receiving any selfless good deeds in the same time period.

That’s the key finding of a new nationwide survey of 1,000 adults, conducted June 6-8 by market researcher Synovate for Gimundo (http://www.gimundo.com). Gimundo commissioned the survey in preparation for National Good News Day, which is this Thursday, June 21.

Respondents were asked whether anyone, known or a stranger, had done any of the following good deeds for them in the past year: gave a shoulder to cry on/comfort in time of need (41 percent said yes), helped with car trouble (21 percent said yes), bought something needed but couldn’t afford (21 percent) or saved their life (1 percent). More than 38 percent said they were surprised with a good deed not mentioned in the survey.

“It’s great to be reminded that people are indeed committing selfless acts of kindness and generosity,” said Keith Cohn, Gimundo CEO. “But there’s still that fairly large group of people who either don’t remember – or truly did not receive – a specific act of thoughtfulness. To me that points out the need for us to share our stories of goodness with each other – either to inspire others to action, or simply to celebrate the good.”

Do men get the short end of the kindness stick?

Women report receiving more good deeds than men in all but one category (having their life saved) – 52 percent of women said they received comfort, and 46 percent said they were surprised with a selfless act not mentioned in the survey. In comparison, just 30 percent of men answered yes to those questions, while 44 percent of men said they couldn’t recall receiving any specific good deeds over the past year.

Among the other key survey findings:

· Bucking the male stereotype, the genders were nearly equal when it comes to car trouble, with 20 percent of men and 22 percent of women saying someone helped them.

· Either the need for or the availability of comfort seems to decrease with age. More than half of those ages 18-24 said someone gave them a shoulder to cry on over the past year, while only 28 percent of respondents over 65 agreed – and it’s a trend that tracks inversely with age.

· Those in the oldest age group were most likely to say they can’t recall any good deed over the past year – 52 percent, against just 17 percent of those in the 18-24 bracket and 35 percent overall.

· Think money brings security? Think again. Those with incomes higher than $75k were only slightly less likely than their lower-earning counterparts to have someone buy them something they couldn’t afford (18 percent of the upper-income group, versus 21 percent of those earning less than $25k).

· By a wide margin, married respondents were more likely than single adults to say they can’t recall receiving any specific selfless good deed (42 percent versus 25 percent, respectively). Single adults reported receiving more good deeds in every category.

· Non-white respondents reported receiving more help with car trouble than whites (30 percent and 20 percent, respectively), while whites were slightly more likely to say someone bought them something they couldn’t afford (22 percent versus 17 percent). Overall, more whites than non-whites said they can’t recall receiving any good deed (36 percent versus 29 percent).

The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3 percent. For a full copy of the survey results, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

About Gimundo

Gimundo (www.gimundo.com) is a news supplement that reports true stories of good news from around the globe. Its free daily newsletter delivers original reporting and a fresh dose of good news to subscribers’ inboxes every morning, while its online community facilitates engagement via forums, chat rooms, blogs and video sharing capabilities. Not fluff, Gimundo offers a respite from the barrage of bad news by reporting real news stories that inspire hope and celebrate all things good. Its creators have successfully managed large companies and start-ups in the consumer products, Internet advertising, media and entertainment sectors. Gimundo is based in Los Angeles. To sign up for the free daily newsletter, go to http://www.gimundo.com.