The Power of Good Report
Background:
McCrindle Research conducted a national survey of Australians to find out
about their experiences and opinions of compassionate living and giving.
There were 857 respondents, and the research identified the frequency and
impact of kindness from strangers in the lives of Australians.
Good vs. evil:
Good deeds far outweigh evil doings. In our research we calculated that for every
act of violence to a stranger, there are 38 acts of kindness towards fellow
Australians. Even so, only 31% of Australians think there are more acts of
kindness performed in the world than acts of terror.
How often do we help?
86% of Australians say they have helped a stranger in need, while 29.5% or
6.6 million say they show kindness “regularly” and a further 64%,
“occasionally”. Backing these stats up is the statistic that 49% of Australians say they have
been shown “significant” kindness by a stranger in their lives, while 29% say
they have been the recipient of kindness from a stranger over the past week.
What is it that we do to help?
While Australians are quick to open doors for strangers (27.5% help strangers
to gain access or mobility “regularly”) and assist at the scene of an emergency
(23% say they do this “regularly”), we aren’t so keen to help strangers with
money (34% say they “never” do this and fewer than 5% say this is something
they do “regularly”).
What motivates Australians to perform good deeds?
1. Delight: 73.8% of Australians lend a helping hand to a stranger simply
because of the joy they receive in putting a smile on another’s face.
2. Conscience: 69% of Australians help because they feel bad if they don’t.
3. God/belief in an after-life: 22.9% perform good deeds because of religious
beliefs.
Just for the sake of it:
59% of Australians say they have done something nice for a stranger “just for
the sake of being nice”, such as paying for a meal. Nearly all of these
Australians (98%) say they would look to repeating this sort of kindness in the
future.
Of those who haven’t shown kindness for the sake of it, 75.4% say they would
be prepared to should an opportunity arise.
Who do we help?
Australians are most likely to help the elderly (88%), followed by children
(58%) and parents (42.5%).
Men vs. women:
Women are only slightly more likely than men to show kindness to a stranger
in need (87% of women have done this, compared to 85% of men).
Old vs. young:
The older an Australian is, the more opportunities they have had to show
kindness. Older Australians are therefore more likely than younger
Australians to have shown kindness to a stranger (65-85: 100%; 46-64: 87%;
31-45: 88%; 16-30: 80%).
How the media influences our perception of good vs. evil:
95% of Australians agree that the media reports more negative than positive
news, while 93% agree that this gives us the impression that there is more
evil than good in the world.
Bad news sells?
An overwhelming 93% of Australians would like to hear more positive news
stories.
Mateship in the 21st century:
While mateship is a term traditionally used among men, its definition is now
more inclusive – 70% of Australians agree with the statement that mateship is
“helping anyone in need regardless of who they are”. The vast majority of
males (80%) as well as females (74%) agree with this statement.
The land of the fair go:
Australia has been described as “the land of the fair go” and for many
Australians this is about equality for all and giving everyone a go – 68% define
“fair go” as “equality – same rules and benefits for all”.
Additionally, almost one in four (23%) Australians believe that this “fair go”
quality is about supporting those in need such as refugees.
More older than younger Australians agree that a “fair go” is about lending a
hand (8% of younger Australians aged 16-30;25% of those aged 31-45; 30%
of those aged 46-64 and 29% of those aged 65-85 agree with this).
Unconditional kindness:
In showing charity to others, very few Australians make judgment. 55% say
they consider a person’s personal responsibility in causing their situation
“sometimes”, depending on the situation, while 24% say they never consider
personal responsibility as it is not up to them to judge. Only 21% say they
show charity only to those who “deserve” it.
Men are less likely than women to judge a person who needs help. 93% of
males sometimes or never consider personal responsibility, compared with
76% of females (7% of men and 24% of women “always” consider personal
responsibility).
What makes Australians happy?
Respondents were asked to rate what makes them feel most happy and
uplifted from a list of 11 options. Giving a small gift of appreciation ($10
value) as a surprise rated high with 81% of Australians saying this makes
them extremely or very happy and uplifted. Giving a gift rated higher than
buying new clothes (53%), having a massage or finding $10 (both 73%),
eating one’s favourite food (78%), listening to one’s favourite song (80%)and
even having the day off work (65%)!
Additionally, 61.5% feel extremely or very happy when they help a stranger in
need with support or give around $10. Being at the receiving end of kindness
also puts a smile on Australians’ faces – 87.5% of Australians say that “being
helped by a stranger after dropping items or struggling with shopping” makes
them feel extremely or very happy.
Most important attributes:
For Australians, treatment of others is the most important attribute in
determining how they think of someone – 76% say it is “an extremely
important factor”. How much money/material possessions someone has,
looks/appearance and status/success are considered by Australians to be the
least important attributes.
Cruel to be kind?
While Australians may toss around the saying that one must be “cruel to be
kind”, we believe that showing people kindness and giving encouragement
and support is the most effective way to change lives for the better (54% of
Australians say that this is the “most important” factor in changing lives for the
better).
Not surprisingly then, Australians believe that disciplining and punishing is the
most ineffective tool in trying to help bring about positive change in someone’s
life (53% of Australians say that this is the “least important” factor).
The power of the kindness of strangers:
The kindness of strangers does more than merely warm the heart, it
transforms lives – the majority of Australians (59.5%) say that if it weren’t for
the kindness, support, encouragement and gifts given them by strangers over
the years, their life would be in a much or somewhat worse place than it is
today.
A legacy of love:
Australians overwhelmingly wish to be remembered for their dedication to
family and friends, with almost 8 in 10 men (78%) and more than 9 in 10
women (93%) saying they would most like to be remembered for this.
Additionally, the majority of Australians would most like to be remembered for
their service to others (79%) and their contribution to society (69%).
