A study commissioned by Verizon and Nextdoor and led by Kindness.org, an organization that champions good will in life and work, finds Nebraska to be the 10th-kindest states in the nation. The survey, in which 10,000 people from all 50 states took part, puts Nebraska between Texas at number nine and Oklahoma at 11.
The way that the survey was conducted largely involved questions about the kindness of Americans toward their neighbors and how Americans view their neighbors’ attitudes toward them. It also observed the relationship between the kindness of neighbors and individual and social well-being.
Ranked ahead of any other state is Georgia. Tennessee and North Carolina make up the second- and third-kindest states. The three states deemed to the unkindest were Vermont at 50, Oregon at 49, and Arizona at 48. Kansas, California, and Idaho make up the middle at 24, 25 and 26, respectively.
Here are the full rankings:
Some takeaways from the survey include:
- 94% of people say they would return a lost item to a neighbor
- 61% of people say they would forgive the debt of a neighbor
- 41% of people say they would adopt the child of a neighbor who passed away
- The average American would give up $7.65 if that meant a neighbor got $10.
- When asked what emotion or feeling they associate with their neighbors, respondents’ top scoring selections were ‘happy’ (63%) and ‘grateful’ (61%).
The research also identified the top 10 overall kindest acts neighbors can do for each other:
- Pay for a neighbor’s groceries at the supermarket
- Donate money to a neighbor
- Donate diapers to a neighbor
- Buy extra school supplies for a neighbor
- Remind a neighbor that they matter
- Accept a neighbor as they are
- Organize or join local park and beach clean ups
- Tell a neighbor what a positive difference they made to someone else’s life
- Mow the lawn for a neighbor
- Surprise a neighbor with their favorite things
Interestingly, a similar survey was conducted by the same parties last year that measured kindness in a different way. Nebraska ranked 31st.