You’re Most Likely to Get Lied to in These Cities

Geo Beats 2013-09-28

Views 26

Sampling four continents, Reader’s Digest reporters dropped 12 wallets in each of 16 cities to see if people would honestly return the wallets or not. Here's how the cities ranked in terms of honesty.

You find a wallet on the ground. You see a family picture, a phone number, $50 in cash, coupons, and business cards. What do you do?

That’s what Reader’s Digest wanted to know. Sampling four continents, reporters dropped 12 wallets in each of 16 cities.

53 percent of wallets were pocketed. One finder included a tram driver whose boss manages Zurich’s lost and found center. Results showed honesty couldn’t be predicted by gender, age, or wealth.

Lisbon proved most dishonest with only 1 wallet returned, ironically by a couple visiting from the Netherlands. Madrid returned 2 and Prague 3.

Helsinki was the most honest with 11 of the 12 wallets returned. Mumbai returned 9, and Budapest and New York both 8.

Of those who returned wallets, one Helsinki businessman reasoned, “We are a small, quiet, closely-knit community. We have little corruption.” Another couple said, “Honesty is an inner conviction.” One London woman said, “It might be the last bit of money a mother has to feed her family.”

How honest is your city?

Share This Video


Download

  
Report form