- 200 teddy bears were left in an apparent state of abandonment in 7 Italian cities to test the goodness of the Italian people.
- The teddy bears were left in restaurants, shops, train stations and park benches in Bologna, Milan, Florence, Naples, Otranto, Rimini and Rome.
- Each teddy had a label with a child’s name and contact details for a parent in case of loss.
- Which city did the best? Milan, with 30% of the bears returned to their ‘owners’. Rome was last with just 9%.
- Across all cities, 68% of women made contact to return the bears, compared to 32% men.
- When asked to leave their details to receive a gift + thank you, those from Milan, Otranto & Bologna obliged, whereas those from Naples were less trusting.
- Giuseppe Riva from the University of Milan says the teddy bear is a symbol of childhood, so parents knew the loss of the bear would cause pain for a child.
- According to Riva, the fact that women returned most bears arises from their greater contact with their children and emotions.
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