Cell Phone Samaritans Will Return Your Phone

Good news for anyone who has a habit of misplacing their cell phone – according to a recent Reader’s Digest survey, there’s a good chance you’ll get it back.

Reporters from the magazine planted “lost� cell phones in public places around the world, covering 32 cities, as part of an experiment designed to test people’s trustworthiness. And, when it comes to unattended cell phones, they found a shockingly high level of honesty. As people walked by the “lost� phones, Reader’s Digest staff placed a call, to see if people would answer the ringing phone and attempt to contact its owner, walk right by, or pocket the device.

Prior to the study, many of the people involved expected the “return rate� to be in the single-digits. To their surprise, however, 68% of the “lost� cell phones were returned.

The most honest city in the world? The capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, where 29 of the 30 planted cell phones were returned to their owners. Large cities like Toronto, Seoul and Stockholm were high on the list as well, with 28 successful returns.

Even New York displayed a high degree of honesty – the city that never sleeps finished fifth in the rankings.