A nation of do-gooders: 9 out of 10 Brits have performed an unexpected ‘good deed’ for someone in the past year
*** FREE FOR EDITORIAL USE *** The iconic Bat-Signal lit up London's skyline on Park Row to celebrate DC’s Caped Crusader on Batman Day 2021. This was one of four projections as the signal travelled from London, up to Liverpool, Glasgow and back down to London from sundown until almost midnight on Saturday 18th September.
Britain is a nation full of ‘do-gooders’ it seems, as a whopping 9 out of 10 (91%) UK adults have performed a good deed for a friend, family member or stranger with no expectation of thanks or reward in the past year, according to a new study.
With World Kindness Day coming up on 13th November, UK train operator Grand Central have been eager to discover more about just how many random acts of kindness are happening across the UK, and they surveyed 2,000 UK adults to find out more.
The poll highlighted that almost half of UK adults have done something unexpectedly kind for someone else in the past week (44%), with a further fifth (20%) having done so in the past fortnight.
Forty per cent of those surveyed have also been at the receiving end of a kind deed in the past week. In total, eight in ten (82%) Brits could recall at least one good deed being done for them in the past 12 months.
Just eight percent of Brits cannot remember the last time they did a good deed for someone and 16% can’t recall the last time someone did something unexpectedly kind for them.
Studies have shown that the simple act of doing something nice for another person has known health benefits due to an increase in oxytocin for both the giver and the receiver. Side effects include reduced anxiety levels, lower blood pressure, an improvement to overall heart health, increased self-esteem, and feelings of optimism².
For those in search of some ‘do-gooder’ inspiration, Grand Central also quizzed Brits about the random acts of kindness they value the most. Above all else, an unexpected compliment was found to be the favourite act of kindness across the nation (48%).
Other things favoured by the nation included being thanked for help given (30%), being let in front of someone in a queue for the bus (30%), having the door held open for them (27%), being treated to a hot drink or food item unexpectedly (27%), and seeing someone do something nice for others such as helping the homeless, donating to charity etc. (26%).
