Study Finds People Are More Cooperative Than They Think

COLOGNE (Germany), June 7 (Bernama-dpa) -- Most people are willing to cooperate with strangers but underestimate the cooperative spirit of their fellow human beings, according to a study by a German research team, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

This phenomenon is especially pronounced in Germany, according to the study, which was published in Science magazine on Thursday.

The Bonn-Frankfurt research team stressed that cooperation is a fundamental prerequisite for social well-being, noting that many challenges can only be overcome when people are willing to contribute to the common good beyond their own self-interest.

The study is based on behavioural science experiments involving more than 100,000 people from 125 representative country samples, according to the University of Bonn. It is said to be the first study in the world to examine human cooperation on a globally representative basis.

The same study was conducted worldwide. Each participant was paired with an unknown person from their own country and asked to choose between two options. The "do not cooperate" option offered a guaranteed return of US$100, while the "cooperate" option offered only US$70.

However, if both individuals -- independently and without consultation -- chose to "cooperate", an additional US$400 was donated to climate change measures. Participants therefore faced a choice between a higher personal payout or a community-oriented one.

A clear majority of participants -- an average of 69 per cent -- proved willing to forgo a higher personal sum in favour of contributing to climate measures. However, participants systematically underestimated the willingness of others to cooperate. 

While the actual global cooperation rate stood at 69 per cent, respondents expected, on average, only 47 per cent of others to cooperate. This pessimistic misperception was found in 124 of the 125 countries studied, making it almost universal. 

"Our results send an encouraging message: We are a more cooperative species than we think," the researchers concluded.

-- BERNAMA-dpa