Are People In Michigan More Polite Than Other States?
Obviously there are rude people no matter where you go but I always like to think we here in Michigan have a specific brand of "Midwestern politeness" that is lacking in other places.
Really every area of our country has pockets of especially polite and especially rude people. You've got "southern charm" but the flip side of that is a sassy attitude. You've got people in the Northeast whose bark may just be worse than their bite. Lastly, you've got those people out west who...are just too "chill" to ever be mean...right?
Well, recently, I made my way down south and I was shocked at some of the rudeness I encountered. Maybe it's because people were just grumpy at the end of 2020 but man, there were so many times I encountered some of the most blatant rude-ness.
That's not to say that I never encounter horrible people in Michigan because I definitely do...daily, however I was baffled.
I tried talking to my boyfriend about how different the people's level of politeness seemed to me but I got thinking...what if it's not?
Well, a recent survey by YouGov found that if you are one of those people that thinks the people around you in your state are more polite than any other, 26% of people surveyed agree! Another 46% of respondents said the people in their state were "about the same" when it came to their level of politeness versus other states while 19% said people in their state were "ruder."
So how do those results apply in Michigan or to the Midwest, you might ask?
Well according to the results, of those surveyed in Michigan the consensus is they think other people in our state are:
- More Polite: 27%
- About The Same: 49%
- More Rude: 15%
- Don't Know: 8%
I don't care what those results say, I think there is something special about the Midwest, states like our beloved Mitten and the people who inhabit it. Being "Midwestern polite" is it's own brand that is unlike any other.
Of course there are a few things that could turn that Midwestern charm into Midwestern rage: