Culminating a month-long initiative to encourage neighborhood connection, new insights from a joint study with Kindness.org explores acts of kindness from the perspective of neighbors
NEW YORK – Today, Nextdoor and Verizon celebrate National Neighbor Day with the release of new insights that shed light on the most impactful acts of kindness through the lens of neighbors. Through a joint research study with Kindness.org, these initial insights reveal the most effective, appreciated and most cost-effective ways that neighbors can spread kindness in their communities – defined as acts that have the highest perceived benefits relative to the personal cost of performing them. The full results of this study will be released later this fall.
Conducted through a survey of over 5,000 participants in August 2022, this initial exploration studied the perceived kindness of a collection of 385 acts, but also their perceived cost to the actor in terms of time, effort, expense and the overall benefit to the recipient. This approach enabled a further calculation of each act’s cost-benefit ratio, or overall ‘cost-effectiveness’. To inspire participation in National Neighbor Day, the following insights reveal the overall ‘Kindest Acts’ one can plan for their neighbors:
Top 10 Overall Kindest Acts for Neighbors
- 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
Delving further into the perceived balance of cost, benefit and impact, the research also defined the most-effective acts of kindness for neighbors, revealing the high value of gestures that come from the heart rather than the wallet.
Top 10 Most Cost-effective Kind Acts to Do For Neighbors
- Compliment a neighbor
- Remind a neighbor that they matter
- Accept a neighbor as they are
- Tell a neighbor what a positive difference they made to someone else’s life
- Donate items they no longer need or use
- Write a list of lovely things about a neighbor
- Arrive at meetings with a neighbor on time
- Pray for a neighbor
- Return a borrowed book to a neighbor
- Bring attention to the accomplishments of a neighbor
“We all have the capacity for kindness – but we don’t always act on it,” said Krista Bourne, chief operating officer of Verizon Consumer Group. “We hope the results of this research will showcase just how easy and cost effective it is to be kind – and for people to take action. Whether you are at the store, at work or in your neighborhood, we can all use a little more kindness.”
“As communities are navigating inflation and economic challenges these findings are a clear reminder that simple acts of kindness come at little cost, and are a powerful way to strengthen our neighborhoods,” said Sarah Friar, Chief Executive Officer, Nextdoor. “Offering a thoughtful word or simply reaching out to your neighbor builds important connections in our communities so that everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on.”
“Kindness is a great way to kickstart cooperative relationships with neighbors. We hope these recommended acts of kindness will help make everyone’s community a kinder place to be,” said Dr Oliver Scott Curry, Chief Science Officer for kindness.org.
Verizon’s #ACallForKindness campaign inspires kind acts through a multifaceted approach that leverages research, inspires people through art, educates people through kindness experts, and provides opportunities for people to quickly and easily choose kindness, no matter who they are or where they live. Visit verizon.com/kindness to take the kindness pledge and learn how you can choose kindness today.
Today’s Neighbor Day insights come at the end of a month-long initiative: The Big Neighborhood MeetUp. Throughout September, Nextdoor and Verizon hosted free all-age events in neighborhoods in Chicago, Houston, Raleigh and Oakland for an afternoon of fun, food, games, and reconnecting with their community. These inspired tens of thousands of people nationwide to join the ‘MeetUp’ movement by creating their own events and activities within their own neighborhoods. From simple coffee dates to full-fledged festivals, these home-grown MeetUps showcased the flavor and personality of their communities, including backyard BBQs, outdoor concerts, sports viewing parties, game nights, community garage sales and many more.
Additionally, the two companies will bring a fifth #BigNeighborhoodMeetUp to New York’s Advertising Week, with a panel discussion on October 19th diving deeper into these insights and the impact of kind acts on building stronger, more connected communities.
To learn more about the Nextdoor and Verizon commissioned study with Kindness.org, visit Nextdoor’s Insights Hub at https://business.nextdoor.com/en-us/enterprise/insights. To learn more about the initiative to build stronger, more connected neighborhoods, go to https://bigneighborhoodmeetup.com. For the latest news and updates surrounding The Big Neighborhood MeetUp follow Nextdoor, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter, #BigNeighborhoodMeetUp.
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