Who Tries to Do Good in the World?

Have you ever wondered who is most committed to doing good — for themselves and for others? Researchers asked over 200,000 adults in 22 countries a simple question: "I always act to promote good in all circumstances, even in difficult and challenging situations." People rated themselves from 0 to 10.

Across nearly every country studied, the strongest predictor of a desire to do good was religious attendance.

The results were surprising. In every single country, the average score was above 6 out of 10 — suggesting that wanting to do good is something people value everywhere. But there were big differences. Countries like Indonesia, Argentina, and Mexico had the highest averages, while Japan, Hong Kong, and Sweden had the lowest.

The study also found patterns within countries. On average across all 22 nations, older adults scored higher than younger ones, married people scored higher than singles, and people with more education scored higher than those with less. The biggest gap of all was tied to religion: people who attended religious services more than once a week scored about 0. 7 points higher than those who never attended. But here's the thing — these patterns weren't the same everywhere.

In some wealthier countries, older people scored higher, but in some less wealthy countries, younger people actually scored higher. The study doesn't say certain groups are better people. Instead, it suggests that things like age, education, jobs, and community life may affect how easy or hard it is for people to act on their good intentions.