Average American does four charitable acts every week – or 231 PER YEAR – The Sun

THE average American pays it forward four times each week, for a total of 231 charitable acts each year, according to new research.

More than half of Americans have "paid it forward" to a complete stranger, a study by Cooper Tires revealed on Monday.

The survey of 2,000 people found that Americans are more altruistic than they're given credit for.

Americans will volunteer four separate times and donate an average of $178 to charity each year.

Acts of kindness don't just help recipients, they help givers too – 75 percent said they feel "a lot better" after donating to or volunteering for a cause.

Donating to a food drive was the most popular way to give back, with 46 percent of respondents choosing to do so.

Donating to a local charity was the second-most popular at 44 percent, while supporting local farmers (38 percent), donating blood (38 percent), and participating in a fundraising walk or race (30 percent) rounded out the top five.

About 78 percent of Americans make the effort to give back to their communities and nearly the same amount instill the same sense of generosity in their children.

Americans are even more likely to show generosity to first responders – 76 percent said they would happily pay for a first responder's meal if they saw them at a restaurant.

Most respondents – nearly 90 percent – believe society under-appreciates first responders, and 73 percent wish their community did more to help them.

But that doesn't mean they're overlooked – 77 percent of Americans said they'd go out of their way to thank a first responder if they spotted one in public.

"First responders steadfastly serve their communities, and they can be counted on no matter the conditions," said Jessica Egerton, Director of Brand Development at Cooper Tire.

Seeing the results of a good deed could inspire more Americans to give back.

Almost 80 percent of respondents said they're more likely to volunteer in their community.

Research shows that kindness could be contagious – 55 percent of people polled said they're more charitable today than they were six months ago.

Source: Read Full Article