Toronto Ranks Third In The List of The World’s Most Polite Cities

Remember when the city was known around the world by that phrase?

Well, despite the summer of the gun, SARS, downloading, amalgamation and just about everything else you can think of, we apparently still retain some of that cachet.

At least according to a new survey.

Reader’s Digest conducted a test in 35 cities across the globe to test the courtesy level of the people who lived there. And Toronto placed third overall in being the most polite.

The test researchers used to determine this rare ranking may raise a few eyebrows. They walked into public buildings 20 times to see who would hold open a door; they measured how many times store clerks said ‘thanks’ after a small purchase; and they dropped a folder filled with papers on a city street to see if anyone would help a stranger pick up the mess.

The result: Toronto came up with a 70 percent ‘niceness’ rating when all the incidents were added together.

The paper chase attracted the most interest. Why would people rush to help?

“Well, why wouldn’t I?” answers one local who came to the aid of our simulated damsel in distress. “You obviously lost all your papers, and they would have blown away, so you go to help.”

“We’re Torontonians,” explains another. “Of course we’re polite.”

The outcome doesn’t surprise some tourists.

“No, not from what I’ve seen so far,” comments Chicago tourist Jeff Nordland. “Things have been very polite here. Out of your way to be kind and helpful actually.”

So if we’re number three, who’s number one?

It may just strain your credibility.

It’s New York City, a place that made being rude a part of its character and charm. It makes you wonder what Archie Bunker would say about that.

Zurich, Switzerland was second, with Berlin, Germany, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Zagreb, Croatia rounding out and tying for the Top 5.

And unlike the perception often given of young people these days, those taking the data found that people under-40 were usually the most helpful, and that women were more courteous overall than men. 

Only one other Canadian city was involved in the test. Montreal came in 21st.

The results will be published in the magazine’s July edition.

Courtesy Test Percentages By City

  1. New York 80%
  2.  Zurich, Switzerland 77%
  3. Toronto 70%
  4. Berlin 68%
  5. Sao Paulo, Brazil 68%
  6. Zagreb, Croatia 68%
  7. Auckland, New Zealand 67%
  8. Warsaw 67%
  9. Mexico City  65%
  10. Stockholm, Sweden 63%
  11. Budapest, Hungary 60%
  12. Madrid 60%
  13. Prague, Czech Republic 60%
  14. Vienna 60%
  15. Buenos Aires 57%
  16. Johannesburg 57%
  17. Lisbon 57%
  18. London 57%
  19. Paris 57%
  20. Amsterdam 52%
  21. Helsinki 48%
  22. Manila 48%
  23. Milan 47%
  24. Sydney, Australia 47%
  25. Bangkok, Thailand 45%
  26. Hong Kong 45%
  27. Ljubljana, Slovenia 45%
  28. Jakarta, Indonesia 43%
  29. Taipei, Taiwan 43%
  30. Moscow  42%
  31. Singapore 42%
  32. Seoul, South Korea 40%
  33. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 37%
  34. Bucharest, Romania 35%
  35. Mumbai, India 32%

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