A New National Survey Reveals Only 12% Of Americans Find The Recent Government Shutdown Forgivable

SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new U.S. survey from the television network Investigation Discovery (ID), more than 80% of Americans believe closure is essential in resolving conflict. In fact, 74% of Americans are more likely to forgive and forget than hold a grudge. The numbers are shocking, especially considering that more Americans are willing to forgive someone for physically hurting a loved one (69%) than forgive Congress for the government shutdown that just ended (12%).

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Leading up to the premiere of ID FILMS: UNLIKELY FRIENDS, a thought-provoking documentary that explores forgiveness under extreme and brutal circumstances, the network partnered with Kelton Research to take America's pulse on compassion. ID FILMS: UNLIKELY FRIENDS premieres Monday, October 21, at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery (check local listings for channel number).

Finding the strength to forgive someone responsible for injuring or even killing a loved one might seem incomprehensible, but 30% of Americans say they would at least try. ID FILMS: UNLIKELY FRIENDS examines America's growing receptivity to show mercy in order to heal. Through the emotional first-person accounts of parents that have overcome unimaginable grief to forgive a child's killer and stories of a similar nature, ID FILMS: UNLIKELY FRIENDS reveals how the power of forgiveness between victim and perpetrator can affect change within the criminal justice system.

About the Survey

The Investigation Discovery "Forgiveness" Survey was conducted by Kelton between October 10^th and October 14^th, 2013 among 1,000 nationally representative Americans ages 18 and over, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the entire U.S. population ages 18 and over. The margin of error is +/-3.1 percent. The full survey results are available on request. Please contact Investigation Discovery for a copy.

About Investigation Discovery

Investigation Discovery (ID) is the leading mystery-and-suspense network on television and America's favorite "guilty pleasure." From harrowing crimes and salacious scandals to the in-depth investigations and heart-breaking mysteries that result, ID challenges our everyday understanding of culture, society and the human condition. ID delivers the highest-quality programming to nearly 86 million U.S. households with viewer favorites that include On the Case with Paula Zahn; Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda; Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?; Surviving Evil; Stalked: Someone's Watching; and Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall. For more information, please visit InvestigationDiscovery.com, facebook.com/InvestigationDiscovery, or twitter.com/DiscoveryID. Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 218 countries and territories.

Please visit the Press Website at http://press.discovery.com/us/id/ for additional press materials, online screeners, and photography.

SOURCE Investigation Discovery