Mississippians would offer $268 to help a neighbor in need, among the highest in the country.
More than one in 10 Americans would ask their neighbor for financial support.
Alaskans would lend the most, North Dakotans would lend the least.
So say the results of a poll of 4,050 people age 18 to 65 in the United States by Windows USA, a window and door manufacturer.
Overall, it appears Alaskans have the biggest hearts — or the biggest wallets — revealing that they’d lend $706.15 to their neighbors. Following them are the people of the Magnolia State, who said they would lend a significant $268.38. They are the sixth most generous in the country, according to poll results. On the other end of the scale, North Dakotans were the least giving, though they would still lend $16.26 if their neighbors needed financial support.
Windows USA have created an interactive map of the U.S. to show how much people across the nation would be prepared to lend a neighbor in need. Access it at windowsusa.com/love-thy-neighbor/.
Just for fun
Windows USA’s survey may have proved that we’re a charitable country on the whole, but how long would we give our neighbors to pay us back? According to the results, the average person would wait 1.6 months before asking for repayment (if it hadn’t been made). Interestingly, one in ten (9.4 percent) said they would also charge interest if they lent money to a neighbor.
It’s the men who appear savvier (or more ruthless) when it comes to lending money, as 13.3 percent stated they’d charge interest, compared to just 5.9 percent of women.
What was surprising is that even though the average person is prepared to lend their neighbor a substantial amount of money, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re prepared to socialize with them. The survey revealed that in the past year the average household has spent less than four days hanging out with their neighbors. Despite this, a significant 42.2 percent of respondents said that they would consider their neighbors as friends.
So how many Americans would actually reach out to their neighbors and ask for money if they needed it? More than one in ten (14.8 percent) admitted they would ask to borrow money from next door. And surprisingly, despite feeling close enough to ask for cash, less than half (41.8 percent) of people would not give their neighbors a spare key to their home.
One of the most heartening statistics to come out of this study was that the majority of Americans (77.3 percent) would volunteer to temporarily house their neighbors if their home became unlivable, for one reason or another.
Michael Allbritton from Windows USA said, “One of the biggest insights from our survey was how the majority of Americans will support and house a neighbor in need. It’s also deeply encouraging to find that people will provide considerable financial assistance to others in their community. It is clear from our study communities across the country can rely on each other as part of a wider support network.”
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