Although integrity is recognized as a global value, the question of how it is manifested in different cultures and societies is often raised. In this context, the research conducted in 2019, titled‘Civic Integrity Around the World‘, conducted a comprehensive study to measure people’s levels of integrity with the lost wallet experiment. In the study, a total of 17,303 lost wallets were located in 40 countries and 355 cities to monitor whether the wallets were returned to their owners.
Results of the Experiment
One of the interesting findings of the experiment was that wallets with money in them were returned more often than those without. The researchers measured people’s reaction by increasing the amount of money placed in wallets, but did not observe a significant change in the return rate as the amount of money increased. This reveals that people’s fear of being seen as thieves is a strong motivator for them to act honestly.
Differences between Countries
According to the results, countries such as Switzerland, Norway and the Netherlands have the highest wallet return rates, while countries such as China, Morocco and Peru have the lowest rates. Turkey ranks 31st with a return rate of 20%. This shows where our country stands in the global average.
Cultural and Economic Factors
Analyses indicate that these differences are not only related to economic level but also to various factors such as education, political structures and cultural values. For example, while economically rich countries tend to have higher refund rates, there are exceptions. This reflects the multifactorial and complex nature of human behavior.
As a result, such global studies help us understand the importance that different societies attach to ethical values and integrity, and contribute to the development of global interaction and understanding. Honesty may manifest in different ways in each society, but this study shows that in general people tend to be well-intentioned and honest.
Source: Science