A new global study has found that individuals with higher incomes are modestly more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors such as donating to charity, volunteering, and helping strangers-raising intriguing questions about the relationship between wealth and morality.
Published in the journal PNAS Nexusthe large-scale meta-analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Birmingham analyzed data from more than 80,000 participants across 76 countries. The findings reveal a consistent, positive correlation between wealth and prosocial actions, suggesting that higher financial well-being may slightly increase a person’s tendency to act generously.
“There has been disagreement as to whether higher wealth makes you more or less prosocial,” said Patricia Lockwood, Professor of Decision Neuroscience and senior author of the study. “Our study clearly shows that wealth, and a subjective sense of financial well-being, are very strongly associated with prosocial behaviors and attitudes.”
Interestingly, the study found that individuals who had previously experienced financial hardship showed even stronger links between improved financial status and acts of kindness. “When people have experienced precarity, higher financial well-being is then more likely to result in prosocial behaviors,” said lead author Paul Vanags. “This includes helping a stranger, donating, and volunteering.”
This finding suggests that personal experience of financial struggle may deepen empathy and motivate individuals to give back more once they achieve financial stability.
While the study highlights a positive link between wealth and generosity, it also uncovers a paradox. Wealthier individuals were found to be less trusting of others-indicating that their increased giving does not necessarily translate to higher levels of interpersonal trust.
Moreover, those with higher income were more inclined to punish antisocial behavior, potentially reflecting a desire to uphold social norms or maintain order in their communities.
One of the most striking findings is the global consistency of these patterns. Regardless of national income levels or cultural differences, the relationship between financial well-being and prosocial behavior held steady across all 76 countries studied.
While the study does not suggest that money directly “buys” morality, it does provide robust evidence that financial well-being is linked with increased prosocial attitudes especially among those who have known economic hardship.
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