The Saying "The Rich Are More Stingy" Confirmed as Fact

Poor People Are Kinder, More Likely to Donate to Charities, and Value Mutual Cooperation More

(Photo by Getty Images)

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] As depicted in British author Charles Dickens' novel "A Christmas Carol," a study has found that wealthy people tend to be more stingy toward others, while poor people are more benevolent.

A joint research team from the University of Agder in Norway and Aarhus University in Denmark analyzed data on wealth, morality, and other factors from 46,000 people across 67 countries.

The results showed that people with lower socioeconomic status were more moral in their behavior and attitudes. Those who grew up in poor environments were found to have a stronger moral identity compared to those who did not. They were also more likely to donate to charities and place greater importance on mutual cooperation.

By country, citizens of nations with severe social inequality exhibited stronger morality than those from countries with less inequality.

Professor Tobias Otterbring, who teaches marketing at the University of Agder, said, "Poor people tend to be relatively more dependent on others and seem to respond more sensitively to their environment." When a poor person performs a good deed, the poor recipient tries to reciprocate the kindness.

(Photo by Getty Images)

On the other hand, the researchers explained that wealthy people believe they can live independently and therefore do not feel the need for others.

Professor Otterbring, who led the study, expressed hope that "this research will serve as an opportunity for those with high socioeconomic status to think once more about the poor and act accordingly."

However, as is often the case with such studies, participants sometimes report differently about themselves than their actual behavior. Therefore, the evidence supporting the claim that wealthy people are stingier and poor people are more benevolent may be somewhat weak.

This study, which has not yet undergone peer review (the process where experts in the same field evaluate the author's research), was published in preprint form on June 1 on the professional platform Research Square before formal publication.