is it possible to get an idea about the magority of world populaion as of being good hearted and kind or vise versa.?
By admin
3 min read
“Good-hearted” is hard to measure directly. A useful way is to look at behavior-based evidence: cooperation, helping, crime/violence, trust surveys, and charitable actions.
Yes, we can get a reasonable idea, but not a perfect measurement. “Good-hearted and kind” is not something science can count directly like height or population. But we can look at human behavior: helping strangers, donating, volunteering, crime rates, violence, trust, family care, and cooperation.
The fairest answer is: the majority of people are probably capable of kindness and usually behave peacefully in normal life, but people are also influenced by fear, pressure, poverty, politics, trauma, and social environment.
Most people are not saints, but most are not cruel either.
Why it is reasonable to believe most people are basically kind
Everyday life depends on cooperation. Billions of people go to work, raise children, care for relatives, help neighbors, follow social rules, and avoid harming strangers. If the majority of humans were truly evil or cruel, normal society would collapse quickly.
There is also survey evidence of widespread generosity. The Charities Aid Foundation’s World Giving Index uses Gallup polling in more than 100 countries and tracks whether people helped a stranger, donated money, or volunteered. Gallup reported that global charitable actions declined in 2024 after record highs from 2021 to 2023, but the fact that these behaviors are tracked globally shows that helping behavior is common enough to be a major worldwide social pattern.
Violence exists, but it is not what most people do. Intentional homicide is one of the clearest measures of extreme interpersonal harm, and UNODC/Our World in Data track it globally. Even in a world with serious violence, the number of people who commit homicide is a tiny fraction of humanity.
Long-term evidence also suggests that many societies have become less tolerant of direct violence. Our World in Data shows that homicide rates in several European countries have declined dramatically over the centuries, and global discussions of war show that conflict deaths have changed over time, even though recent conflicts remain deeply serious.
Why it is not simple
Trust varies greatly by country and culture. Our World in Data reports that in countries such as Norway and Sweden, more than 60% of people say most people can be trusted, while in some countries such as Colombia, Brazil, and Peru, fewer than 10% say the same. That does not necessarily mean people in low-trust countries are less kind; it often reflects crime, corruption, inequality, weak institutions, or historical trauma.
Humans are also situational. A person may be generous with family but suspicious of strangers. Someone may be kind in peace but harsh under fear. People often act better when they feel safe, respected, and treated fairly. They often act worse when they feel threatened, humiliated, desperate, or manipulated.
The most balanced conclusion
It is fair to say that most people are more ordinary-good than evil. They want safety, love, family, friendship, dignity, and a chance to live peacefully. Most people do not wake up wanting to harm others. Many will help when they can, especially when the situation is personal and they feel their help matters.
But kindness is not automatic. It needs the right conditions: trust, education, justice, emotional security, community, and good leadership. A society can bring out the best or worst in people.
So the best answer is:
The majority of humanity is probably capable of kindness and often practices it in daily life, but human goodness is fragile. It grows when people feel safe, connected, and treated with dignity.