July 06, 2026
Many people consider others
to be selfish. However, a new international study paints a
different picture: worldwide, 69 per cent are willing to
give up personal benefits for the common
good.
Would you be prepared to give up some
of your own money to support the fight against climate
change? Many people believe that most people would answer
‘no’ to this question, but they are wrong. Overall, a
global pattern emerges: people significantly underestimate
how cooperative their fellow human beings actually are. On
average, respondents to a new
study assume that only 47 per cent of people are willing
to cooperate. This pessimistic misperception is universal
and is found in 124 out of 125 of the countries
surveyed.
human kindness: Two-thirds of people are
willing to forgo personal benefits for the common
good
The study, published in the scientific journal
*Science*, also shows that people are more cooperative than
we all believe.
Globally, 69 per cent of people are
willing to forgo personal benefits for the common
good.
More than 100,000 people in 125 countries
were surveyed for the study. It is the first globally
representative study on human cooperation.
This is
how the experiment worked: $100 for non-cooperation, $70 for
cooperation
The study was based on a decision-making
experiment conducted in a standardised manner worldwide.
Each participant was paired with an unknown counterpart from
their own country. In the next step, the participants had to
choose between two options: if they chose the ‘do not
cooperate’ option, they received 100 US dollars. However,
if they chose ‘cooperate’, they received only 70 US
dollars. If, however, both participants independently and
without prior consultation chose the ‘cooperation’
option, an additional 400 US dollars was donated to the
fight against global warming.
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This pessimistic
misperception was particularly pronounced in Germany.
Germans assume that only 47.6 per cent of their fellow
citizens would cooperate. This means the study participants
underestimate their fellow citizens by almost 40 per cent,
as the actual cooperation rate stands at 86 per cent. Many
are therefore willing to forego their own benefits for the
common good.
Cultural differences, education, the
willingness of others: these factors influence
behaviour
The study concludes that cooperation is
widespread across the globe. Furthermore, the authors found
that the willingness to cooperate depends primarily on how
cooperative people perceive their fellow human beings to be.
Thus, those who believe that others will also cooperate are
themselves more likely to contribute to the common good and
forego their own advantages. However, personal
characteristics also play a role: for instance, people who
are more patient and more willing to take risks cooperate
more frequently than others.
The researchers did not
find any differences in terms of gender or age. However,
people with a higher level of education show a greater
willingness to cooperate. As the study was conducted in 125
countries, cultural differences are also evident.
The
willingness to cooperate varies, in some cases
significantly, from country to country and is closely linked
to cultural and historical experiences. For example, the
expectation that others will cooperate influences the
willingness of Finnish participants to cooperate much more
strongly than that of Egyptian participants. Research shows
that these differences are primarily linked to a country’s
history and culture. In concrete terms, this means that a
person’s willingness to cooperate is not only linked to
personal characteristics but is also shaped by cultural
influences.
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https://kontrast.at/
/ Kontrast Redaktion and adding a link to the
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https://thebetter.news/common-good-people-more-helpful/ The
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