How do Londoners react when they see a stranger in distress? Do they ignore the person's plight or rush to help? That is what the folks at Action Productions, a newly established ethically driven creative agency recently tested on the streets of the bustling city.
The social experiment that was recorded using hidden cameras involved three disparate scenarios. In one, an elderly lady with a cane contemplates how to climb a flight of stairs while lugging a heavy suitcase. In another, a tired subway passenger places a sign on his chest requesting fellow passengers to wake him when the train arrives at a certain station. The third is a classic case of a woman struggling with bags of groceries only to get one knocked down by a careless passerby. To the creative agency's delight, in all three cases, good Samaritans immediately came to the rescue. Each was a serenaded by an A Cappella choir.
The results of the experiment may not come as a surprise for those that live in small towns with close-knit communities. However, they were in this case because the residents of large metropolitan cities like London have a reputation for being aloof and uncaring. Fortunately, that is not true, at least as far as Londoners go!
Resources: telegraph.co.uk, dailymail.co.uk