Ask anyone on the street and they'll probably tell you people are getting worse. Shoplifting is out of control, people blast music on buses, and retail workers face daily abuse. It's enough to make anyone feel depressed about humanity.

Research backs this up: a 2023 study found people in over 60 countries believe basic decency is disappearing. A 2025 poll of 9,600 Americans revealed that 46% think rudeness is increasing, while only 9% believe it's getting better since the pandemic.

But here's the thing: people are often wrong about what others are really like. Researchers study how accurate our perceptions of other people are, and it turns out we're carrying around some serious misperceptions.

Look at what people actually value – those core ideals that guide behaviour. The picture isn't as bleak as the headlines suggest. A 2022 study of 32,000 people across 49 cultural groups found that loyalty, honesty and helpfulness ranked highest. Power and wealth? Bottom of the list. So much for moral collapse. Data from European countries between 2002 and 2023 shows this pattern stayed consistent.

People's values are remarkably similar across over 60 countries, education levels, religions and genders. Even American Democrats and Republicans in 2021-23, or British Leave and Remain voters in 2016-17, share surprisingly similar values. That's quite different from all the talk about polarisation tearing countries apart, isn't it?

Sure, these findings rely on self-reports, which means people might just be making themselves look good. But what about actual behaviour? Well, that's where things get interesting.

When researchers analysed real conflicts caught on CCTV, they found bystanders intervened in nine out of ten cases in the Netherlands, South Africa and the UK. People step in during knife attacks and terrorist incidents, even risking their own safety. Yes, these situations are rare, but they show many people will help under extreme pressure.

In everyday situations, people are pretty decent too. A 2019 study found that in 38 out of 40 countries, lost wallets containing cash were more likely to be returned than empty ones. The more cash inside, the higher the return rate. Why? Because people recognised the owner would suffer more from losing it.

In a 2023 experiment, 200 people from seven countries received $10,000 with almost no conditions. They spent over $4,700 on other people and donated $1,700 to charity. Not exactly selfish behaviour.

What about the past? Maybe people really were better 50 or 100 years ago? There aren't many studies tracking behaviour over time, but one found Americans actually became slightly more cooperative with strangers between the 1950s and 2010s.

So why do many people still believe society is declining morally? News outlets focus heavily on negative events, and negative news spreads faster on social media. When disasters happen – hurricanes, earthquakes – media reports often describe panic and cruelty, even though people usually cooperate and support each other.

Plus, people with extreme political views are more likely to post online, as are bots from Russia and other places. What we see on social media doesn't represent the actual population at all.

None of this denies that some people cause serious harm, or that certain problems like online child abuse may be worsening. But these trends don't reflect how average people behave or what they value.

It matters if we're too pessimistic about others. People who wrongly believe others care more about selfish values are less likely to volunteer or vote. Why would you invest time in people you think won't return the favour?

Experiments show that when people learn others share similar values, they become more trusting and hopeful. Talking to friends, acquaintances or even strangers helps us realise most people are friendly, and it makes us feel better too.

Volunteering, joining local groups or attending community events can help: helping others genuinely makes us feel good. Reading positive news or focusing on people's kindness also improves our outlook.

The evidence suggests moral decline isn't actually happening, despite some bad behaviour increasing. If we all stopped trusting each other and stopped helping one another, then we really would become more self-centred and decline would follow. Fortunately, we can influence our own future as a society.