People in rich countries think their neighbors are less honest than they actually are, while people in poor countries have way too much faith in theirs.
In a study of nearly 10,000 people across 23 countries, researchers found that citizens in high-income nations consistently underestimate the likelihood of a lost wallet being returned. This suggests that as societies become more stable and wealthy, their citizens actually become more cynical and 'miscalibrated' regarding the trustworthiness of others.
Trust miscalibration across cultures and social classes
PsyArXiv · wb7am_v1
Do people accurately judge how trustworthy others are? Trust in strangers underpins modern societies, yet people sometimes misjudge others’ trustworthiness, with potentially detrimental implications for social cohesion and public well-being. In pre-registered studies across 23 countries (N = 9,758), we quantify the trust gap: the discrepancy between people’s belief about how many people would return a wallet lost in the street and how many people actually do return it. In line with prior researc