How would your state or country rank when it comes to over all
politeness, and friendliness in general? I can honestly say
that my own state has its share of rude people, and I have traveled extensively to many other states that had its share of rude people, but on the whole, rudeness can happen just about anywhere. I have personally only been as far as Mexico when it comes to leaving the states, and the people there were wonderful. According to a recent undercover survey done by Readers Digest, New Yorkers ranked number one in the world on the
politeness scale, while India, Romania, and Malaysia came in as the worst three on the list.
When New Yorkers were put to the test, they came through with flying colors proving that chivalry is not dead at all, at least in some places. Switzerland and Canada came in second, and third on the politeness survey. The test involved street life and
retail shops in thirty five countries, and the people that run them. The survey crew would purposely drop newspapers on the ground to see if anyone would assist in picking them up. Four out of five people immediately came to the crew's aid. As far as customer service in New Yorks retail stores, 19 out of 20 business's were polite, courteous, and felt that the customer did them a favor by shopping in their business. In return the customers were treated like royalty.
The survey found that men were the most willing to assist when it came to the survey team dropping newspapers or documents in retail establishments, and on the sidewalk, and the men that were put to the test also opened doors for the female survey members. New Yorkers claim that it is just a part of their upbringing, and that most people treat others the way that they want to be treated. The survey brought a sense of comfort when you consider that New York has millions of people hustling around each other on over crowded streets daily. The survey crew felt that if New Yorkers could be this polite, then just about anyone else could.