A Reader’s Digest survey of 36 cities in 35 countries:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20060621/ap_tr_ge/travel_briefs_polite_cities
NYC is full of tourists. How many actual *residents * did they actually observe in action?
Ah, but you’re incorrect–it was rated the world’s most polite city. It doesn’t look like New York was up against any other US cities. By US definitions of politness, the US is a very polite country, on the whole. Not surprising that the only US city on the list won. I suppose, by the numbers, that there may have been one other US city on the list, but the article didn’t say.
Had a survey of politeness across US cities been conducted, NYC would eat dust, I’m sure. 
Yes, I found Toronto much more polite than New York.
What?
I have to wonder if they included any British cities in their survey. Specifically Glasgow and Edinburgh. From what I saw when I was there, it goes way beyond holding doors for people.
Here is the story of Readers Digest. I wanted to see how Paris rated.
In your Face, Parisians, I always said they were ruder than New Yorkers.
Toronto was only 3rd Gorgon Heap.
** New York USA 80% **
Zurich Switzerland 77
** Toronto Canada 70 **
Berlin Germany 68
São Paulo Brazil 68
Zagreb Croatia 68
Auckland New Zealand 67
Warsaw Poland 67
Mexico City Mexico 65
Stockholm Sweden 63
Budapest Hungary 60
Madrid Spain 60
Prague Czech Republic 60
Vienna Austria 60
Buenos Aires Argentina 57
Johannesburg South Africa 57
Lisbon Portugal 57
London United Kingdom 57
** Paris France 57 **
Amsterdam Netherlands 52
Helsinki Finland 48
Manila Philippines 48
Milan Italy 47
Sydney Australia 47
Bangkok Thailand 45
Hong Kong 45
Ljubljana Slovenia 45
Jakarta Indonesia 43
Taipei Taiwan 43
Moscow Russia 42
Singapore 42
Seoul South Korea 40
Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 37
Bucharest Romania 35
Mumbai India 32
I found Edinburgh and Vancouver to be very polite cities. I have never been to Toronto yet. Glasgow reminded me of Milwaukee and I found neither more polite than NYC.
Jim