Most Americans believe kindness is alive and well in the U.S., with strong majorities saying they regularly see and experience it in their daily lives.
A new Gallup survey finds that about six in 10 adults report frequently seeing others treat people with kindness and respect, while nearly two-thirds say they’ve personally experienced acts of kindness within the past week.
Despite those positive perceptions, fewer Americans say they feel fully comfortable initiating kindness themselves — especially when it involves strangers. Just over half of adults, 52%, said they would be “very comfortable” performing a kind act for someone they don’t know.
That comfort level drops sharply among younger Americans. While 64% of adults age 65 and older said they are very comfortable initiating kindness toward strangers, that figure falls to 49% among those ages 30 to 49 and just 35% among adults ages 18 to 29.
The survey suggests a feedback loop at play: people who experience kindness more frequently are more likely to extend it to others. Among those who reported receiving multiple acts of kindness in the past week, nearly 80% said they are very comfortable initiating similar acts. That share declines significantly among those who rarely or never experience kindness themselves.
Perceptions of the country as a whole follow a similar pattern. Nearly three-quarters of Americans said people in the U.S. are at least somewhat kind, though only a small share — about 11% — described Americans as “very” kind.
Those views are closely tied to personal experience. People who regularly witness or receive kindness are far more likely to believe others are kind, while those who rarely see it are more likely to hold negative views.
While differences exist across age groups and some demographic categories, the overall trend is consistent: exposure to kindness appears to shape both how Americans view one another and how willing they are to engage.
Researchers say the findings raise questions about whether younger adults will grow more comfortable initiating kindness over time — or whether generational attitudes could shape how communities interact in the future.
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