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What ever happened to "please," "thank you" and "excuse me?"

Reader's Digest reports that 70% of North American adults say people are ruder now than they were 20 years ago. But is that really true?

Well, RD decided to find out. They conducted their own courtesy test in 35 countries where the magazine is published.

In the United States, they took the test to New York City and sent two reporters - one man and one woman - to perform 3 experiments.

They did a "door test" to see if anyone would hold the door, a "document drop" to see if anyone would help pick up dropped papers and a "service test" to see if a Starbucks salesclerk would thank them for making a purchase.

A total of 60 tests were conducted and and what do you think happened? In NYC, four out of every five people passed the courtesy test. 90% of New Yorkers passed the door test and 19 out of 20 Starbucks baristas thanked their customers.

In a twist, only 55% of people tested helped pick up the dropped papers. The reason, experts say, is that people are less likely to help when it takes more time and effort.

So what's keeping courtesy alive and well? The biggest reason given for helping out others was, "I was raised that way." The second biggest reason given, "You do what you'd want others to do for you."

So in which country do the most courteous people live?

According to the Reader's Digest survey, Canada ranked third, Switzerland ranked second and coming in first place ... the most courteous country was the United States.

(Story from Reader's Digest online at www.rd.com/family/good-manners/2/.)

We want to know ... are you a courteous person? Have you taught your children how to be courteous? Post your thoughts below or on our Facebook page here. We may even use your comment in a newscast!