The Surprising Global Map of Generosity
Globally, older people are more likely to donate money, but younger people are more likely to help a stranger.
2025Scientific Reportsn=202,898
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Social Connection202511 min read
The Surprising Childhood Roots of a Generous Life
Childhood predictors of charitable giving and helping across 22 countries in the Global Flourishing Study
- By
- Nakamura, Julia S. et al.
- Participants
- 202,898
- Countries
- 22
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Key Takeaways
01
Both positive childhood experiences, like attending religious services, and negative ones, like experiencing abuse, are linked to a higher likelihood of giving to charity and helping strangers in adulthood.
02
The relationship between childhood experiences and adult generosity varies significantly across different countries, with the same factor sometimes predicting more giving in one nation and less in another.
03
Childhood factors that predict donating money to charity are not always the same as those that predict helping a stranger.
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Why It Matters
This research is important because it changes how we think about the origins of kindness and generosity. It moves beyond the simple story that good childhoods create good people, revealing a more complex truth: hardship can also be a powerful source of empathy. The finding that childhood abuse or feeling like an outsider is linked to *more* giving and helping is a profound insight. It suggests that for some, painful experiences can lead to "post-traumatic growth," fostering a deep-seated desire to alleviate the suffering of others.
