On March 27, 1964, The New York Times published a shocking front-page story. It claimed that for over half an hour, 38 law-abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer attack a woman named Kitty Genovese in three separate stages. The reporter, Martin Gansberg, wrote that the witnesses watched from their windows as the 28-year-old bar manager was stalked and stabbed. According to his article, 'not one person' called the police until after she was already dead. The story was prompted by a conversation between a Times editor and the police commissioner. Overnight, Kitty Genovese became a global symbol of cold-blooded, big-city indifference. The story raised a terrifying question: in a crowd, is anyone really watching out for you?
The Bystander Effect
The bystander effect: why people in a crowd are less likely to help, the misreported murder that inspired the research, and the experiments that proved it.
Chapter 1
The 38 Witnesses
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the bystander effect?
The bystander effect is a psychological finding that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. The responsibility to act is thought to be 'diffused' among the onlookers, with each person assuming someone else will intervene.
Did 38 people really watch Kitty Genovese get murdered and do nothing?
No, this was a significant exaggeration from a 1964 New York Times article. Later investigations showed most witnesses did not see the full attack, and several people did try to help, including a woman who held Genovese in her arms and a man who shouted at the attacker.
Does the bystander effect mean people in crowds never help?
Not necessarily. While classic experiments showed inaction in groups, a large 2020 study of real-world CCTV footage found the opposite. It showed that in over 90% of public conflicts, at least one person intervened, and the chances of intervention actually increased with more bystanders.
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