THE world’s largest study of kindness has found that two thirds of people believe the Covid-19 pandemic has made people more kind.
The Kindness Test found that while most participants felt that levels of kindness had either remained the same (39 per cent) or declined (36 per cent) during their lifetime, two thirds thought that the pandemic has made people kinder.
Devised by the University of Sussex and launched on BBC Radio 4, the study was a detailed online questionnaire that ran from August 31 to October 4, 2021.
Professor Robin Banerjee, Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex said: "Our partnership with the BBC on The Kindness Test has generated tremendous insights into the nature of kindness and the role it plays in our lives.
“Even very small acts of kindness are related to our well-being, and the results of The Kindness Test raise important questions for us all about how we can promote kindness in our homes, communities, and workplaces.”
More than 60,000 people from 144 countries chose to take part, ranging in age from 18 to 99.
Other findings from the study concluded that all aspects of kindness, being kind, receiving kindness and seeing kindness, were more commonly reported by women.
It also revealed a link between kindness and wellbeing, as people who said they receive, give or notice more acts of kindness also reported higher levels of wellbeing, on average.
People who talk to strangers see and receive more kindness, according to the study, even when taking different personalities into account.
Claudia Hammond, presenter of Radio 4’s All in the Mind and The Anatomy of Kindness, and visiting professor at the University of Sussex said: “The fact that such a huge number of people chose to give up their time to take part in The Kindness Test shows how much we value it.
“It’s encouraging to see just how many kind acts people are giving, receiving and noticing every day.
“I hope this insight into what’s stopping us from being even kinder might help us to find ways to boost kindness even more.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel