18 States Where Americans Are the Politest
When you think of states with the most polite populations, which ones come to mind first?
Online language learning marketplace Preply set out to discover whether stereotypes like southern hospitality and rude New Yorkers hold any truth.
Preply conducted their study by surveying Americans in all 50 states, asking them questions to gauge how important “polite” actions were to the participants. Points were assigned to responses, and Preply adjusted the score on a scale of 0 to 100. The closer a state ranked to 100, the more polite Preply determined it was.
Reality vs Perception
In addition to ranking the most polite states in America via questions to gauge how important polite gestures are, Preply also straight up asked participants to rate their state’s politeness. These were the results.
1: Arkansas
Arkansas is the most polite state in America, with an impressive politeness score of 99.3 out of 100. Nearly 75% of Arkansan participants in Preply’s study responded they feel it’s “very important” to hold the door for other people. It appears Arkansas residents embrace polite culture; they scored a 90.8 on the perceived politeness question, which put them in second place after Minnesota.
2: Georgia
Georgia scored a 98.9 on the politeness scale. Sixty-two percent of Georgians agreed that it’s “very important” to respect someone’s preferred titles or pronouns, which contributed to The Peach State’s high ranking. Meanwhile, Georgians’ responses about their perceived politeness of their state ranked in 14th place.
3: Alabama
Alabama’s 98.6 politeness score was fueled in great part by nine out of ten Alabaman participants responding that giving up their seat on public transportation to someone in need is important. As for how polite they perceive their state to be? Alabama ranked in sixth place, tied with Kentucky.
4: South Carolina
If you’re not convinced that Southern hospitality has backing to it, South Carolina might do the trick. The Palmetto State received a 98.5 politeness rating. Although residents don’t view their state as quite as polite, their 88.9 perceived politeness score also landed them in fourth place.
5: Tennessee
Tennesseans land in respectable fifth place for the politest states in the U.S., with a politeness score of 98.0. In contrast, Tennessee residents don’t appear to see themselves as much in the polite light, for they ranked in ninth place for perceived politeness.
6: Kentucky
Not only does Kentucky breed horses, but they breed polite people too. The Bluegrass State ranks as the sixth most polite state in America, with a politeness score of 97.6. That ranking is spot-on with Kentuckians’ perceived politeness, where they also rank in sixth place.
7: Kansas
Kansans received a 97.6 score in Preply’s politeness study. The problem? Kansans don’t view themselves as overly polite; they ranked in thirteenth place for the self-reported perceived politeness of their state.
8: Louisiana
The Pelican State is home to a polite group of residents, based on their 97.3 politeness score. Louisianans rank higher in perceived politeness compared to Americans in other states (sixth place), although overall, they don’t see themselves as ultra-polite, given their perceived politeness score was only 87.5.
9: North Carolina
North Carolina residents answered questions pertaining to politeness that landed them a 97.1 score. However, The Tar Heel State had the greatest difference in perceived politeness up to this point, ranking in 22nd place.
10: Michigan
Michigan rounds out the top ten most polite states in the U.S. The Wolverine State scored an even 97.0 for politeness. That said, Michiganians’ perceived politeness score was 76.9, which landed them in 30th place.
11: Minnesota
Minnesota joins Michigan in being a polite state that isn’t in the southern part of the U.S. Preply gave Minnesotans a politeness score of 96.8, whereas locals appear to think they’re far more polite: Minnesota ranked number one for perceived politeness.
12: Ohio
Ohio ranks below Minnesota by just 0.1 on the politeness scale. However, Ohioans don’t think highly of their state’s politeness; they ranked in 28th place for the self-assessed perceived politeness question.
13: Mississippi
Heading back down south, Mississippi scores a 96.4 for politeness. Ask Mississippi residents, though, and many would disagree with The Magnolia State’s 13th-place ranking; it ranked in fifth place for perceived politeness compared to the rest of the nation’s perception of their states’ politeness.
14: Utah
Utah scored a solid 96.0 for politeness. The Beehive State doesn’t view themselves in such a good light, though. They ranked in 21st place for perceived politeness, with a score of 80.3.
15: Virginia
Virginia’s politeness score of 95.5 means that, in theory, travelers can be expected to be greeted by many polite gestures when visiting there. However, with Virginians answering the perceived politeness question in a way that ranked them in 26th place, a mixed politeness experience for travelers might be a more accurate expectation.
16: West Virginia
West Virginia ties with Virginia, joining it with a 95.5 politeness score. Unlike Virginians, West Virginians view their state’s politeness more highly, ranking in tenth place for perceived politeness.
17: Iowa
The Hawkeye State scored a 95.4 in Preply’s politeness study. That’s significantly higher than Iowa’s 86.1 perceived score ranking, even though this ranking makes it the eleventh most perceived polite state in the U.S.
18: Nebraska
Nebraska falls just a hair below Iowa, with a politeness score of 95.3. Although The Cornhusker State’s residents don’t perceive themselves as quite as polite (89.5 score), they landed in third place for perceived politeness.
Uncovering Southern Hospitality
Professor and author Anthony Szczesiul says that the term “Southern hospitality” was coined in the 1820s or 1830s. It was a way for white Southerners to defend their slavery-dependent lifestyle and political system when debates about slavery were rising across the nation.
Digging Into Politeness
Studies show that politeness, and managing varying degrees of politeness, is a vital part of integrating into society. A lack of politeness doesn’t always signify a person is acting impolitely; it can be a sign of feeling close to a person. Case in point? Saying, “Hey, Jane,” instead of “Hello, Ms. Jane.”
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