College students have about 40% less empathy than college students did during the 1980s or 1990s (University of Michigan Study of nearly 14,000 college students). See: The End of Empathy
I would add that additional causes of the growing lack of empathy in our culture are due to reality television shows where peering into another's life and troubles becomes commonplace and unfortunately, humorous to some viewers; and the proliferation of violent video games and shows where such unreal events take away from the realness of actual events occurring on our world (as the article states inability to distinguish fantasy from reality).
This lack of empathy is one reason that civility and manners training is so important in our world today. It is not about stuffiness and rules. Rather, it is about genuine caring of another's feelings. About showing kindness and graciousness. And about empathy – the understanding, awareness, sensitivity, and capacity to put oneself in another's shoes so to speak.
A great question for our society: Who's shoes are you wearing today?
