Half of Americans think they are the best person they know, and majority are good people

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Almost half of all Americans believe they’re the best person they know, a new survey suggests. In a recent study of 2,000 U.S. residents, 81% said they believe that humankind is inherently good, and three in four (75%) believe they’re fundamentally a good person. But when asked how they would compare themselves to others in their life, 46% went a step further, admitting to a belief that they’re “better” than everyone else they know. The survey was conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Behold Retreats, a wellness company that specializes in the therapeutic use of plant-based medicine to aid in personal and spiritual growth. Broken down by gender, female respondents were less likely to think of themselves as good (67% vs 86% of men), and more likely to believe that humanity is bad (20% vs 4% of men). Only 55% of Millennials believe in the goodness of humanity; respondents between the ages of 25 and 39 were also least likely to claim to be a good person (68%) and the most likely to say they “didn’t think in terms of ‘good’ or ‘bad’” (12%). Respondents were most likely to say that a good person should be kind (49%), giving (45%), and friendly (41%) — but when asked to list which qualities they wished to have, respondents wanted to be more successful (38%) over anything else, even happiness (21%). "People still make the mistake of thinking that success precedes happiness, or that success and happiness come from the outside, but it doesn't." said Behold Retreats founder Jonathan de Potter. "Success and happiness are the natural result of doing the inner work to understand ourselves better, recognize our unique gifts and strengths, and aligning to our true purpose."

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