Mike DomitrzPresident, Author, and Speaker on Respect, The Center for Respect, Inc. · Author & Speaker on Respect for Schools, Corporations, & the Military since 1990 (has reached

Many more people say they will do the right thing than actually do.

16 Mar 2024 · 1 min

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In this live segment, the speaker challenges the audience with a direct moral question: "Is it your business to help a person in a dangerous, vulnerable situation?" After receiving a majority of "yes" responses, the speaker cites research showing a stark gap between self‑reported willingness to act (about 95% of people claim they would help) and actual behavior observed in hidden‑camera studies (roughly 5% intervene). The audience is prompted to guess the real percentage, revealing that most overestimate the likelihood of intervention. The speaker then asks the crowd to label the 5% figure as "pathetic," eliciting an emotional reaction and underscoring the prevalence of the bystander effect.

Chapters

Is it your business what happens to another human being right in front of you who's in a dangerous, vulnerable situation where you could help? Is that your business, yes or no? Yes. Why? I heard a lot of yeses. Now, to be fair, only about half of you said yes today. Does anybody think it's not your business? Here's why I'm asking this. Do you know when they ask students, and adults by the way, would you do the right thing in a tough situation? 95% of people say yes. But when they actually put them in the situation, And they hidden camera it. What percentage do you think actually step up and do something? Yell the numbers you would guess, percentages. 30. I heard 30. I heard 50. I heard 10. Ready? 5. By the way, is that pathetic to think? If you agree 5% is pathetic, just yell pathetic. Pathetic.