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November 14, 2018
Topophilia and kindness
This year’s St Andrews Day has a new twist – we’re all being asked to offer some kindness to someone. What’s not to like about that? Coincidentally, Carnegie UK Trust have just published some research into how people from across the UK experience kindness both through their public services and in the places they live. Scotland scores highest of the home nations – apparently we like where we live largely because of the kindness that we experience there. I learnt a new word last week that seems to fit – we’re a nation of topophiliacs.
Quantifying kindness, public engagement and place presents findings from the first ever quantitative survey on kindness in communities and public services. The data reveals a reassuring and yet complex picture of kindness in the UK and Ireland, with generally high levels of kindness reported, but at the same time variations in experiences between jurisdictions and across social groups.
The research also sheds light on how people describe the place they live in, revealing that two in five people in the UK self-identify as living in a town; and provides insights into people’s sense of control over public services, and how they perceive and act upon various methods of public engagement.
The data was collected by Ipsos MORI, on behalf of the Carnegie UK Trust; surveys were run with representative random sampling of approximately 1,000 people in each of the five legislative jurisdictions in the UK and Ireland