Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of was 43.3% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United Kingdom, 1984–2022
Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United Kingdom stood at 43.3%. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 22.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United Kingdom peaked at 43.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 28.5%, in 2004.
That places United Kingdom 10th out of 39 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 42.5% | — |
| 1993 | 42.1% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 30.4% | -27.7% |
| 2004 | 28.5% | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 35.3% | +23.8% |
| 2022 | 43.3% | +22.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 43.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 33.3%, 1.3× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 43.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 28.3%, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 42.5% | 42.5% | 42.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 36.3% | 30.4% | 42.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 28.5% | 28.5% | 28.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 35.3% | 35.3% | 35.3% | 1 |
| 2020s | 43.3% | 43.3% | 43.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0084 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United Kingdom?
- Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United Kingdom was 43.3% in 2022, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 43.3% in 2022.
- What is the lowest share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.5% in 2004.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of?
- United Kingdom ranks 10th out of 39 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
% 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".