Germany vs United States of America: Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of

Germany
41.6%
in 2022
United States of America
37.0%
in 2022
Germany rank
11th
United States of America rank
14th

Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of over time

  • Germany
  • United States of America
01020304050198420032022

How they compare

Germany currently reports 41.6% against 37.0% in United States of America, a difference of 4.6%.

That makes Germany's figure about 1.1 times United States of America's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 1984 it was United States of America ahead.

Germany ranks 11th and United States of America ranks 14th of 39 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 2 and United States of America in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany United States of America Difference Ahead
1980s 25.9% 39.2% 13.3% United States of America
1990s 30.5% 42.5% 12.0% United States of America
2000s 33.1% 35.5% 2.5% United States of America
2010s 40.1% 37.0% 3.1% Germany
2020s 41.6% 37.0% 4.6% Germany

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of, Germany or United States of America?
Germany, at 41.6% against 37.0% in United States of America as of 2022.
What is the difference in share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of between Germany and United States of America?
4.6%, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United States of America?
7 years are reported by both, from 1984 to 2022.
How do Germany and United States of America rank globally for share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of?
Germany ranks 11th and United States of America ranks 14th of 39 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Germany vs United States of America: Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of. Statizoid, drawing on Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/share-agreeing-most-people-can-be-trusted-vs-most-people-would-try-to-take-advantage-of/germany/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of
Unit
%
Source
Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
39 places, 225 data points, 1984–2022
Last refreshed

% of respondents replying "Most people can be trusted" when asked "Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you need to be very careful in dealing with people?" Possible answers include "Most people can be trusted", "Do not know" and "Need to be very careful".