If you lose your wallet, will a stranger give it back? Most of us assume the answer depends on how much cash is inside — and that more money means less chance of seeing it again. One of the largest honesty experiments ever run found the opposite.
The experiment
In a study published in the journal Science in 2019 (read the paper), economists Alain Cohn, Michel André Maréchal, David Tannenbaum and Christian Lukas Zünd ran field experiments in 355 cities across 40 countries. Research assistants handed in more than 17,000 "lost" wallets at public and private institutions, saying they had found them nearby.
Each wallet looked like a real person's: it held three business cards with a name common in that country, a grocery list in the local language and a key. Some wallets contained no money; others contained the local equivalent of about $13.45. The researchers then measured whether the recipient contacted the owner.
What they found
- Adding money increased the share of wallets reported to the owner, from 40% to 51% on average.
- In three countries the researchers also tested a larger amount, about $94 — and reporting rose further, to 72%.
- The pattern held in 38 of the 40 countries.
- Return rates varied widely between countries, but more money meant more returns almost everywhere.
The experts got it wrong
Before revealing the results, the researchers asked both members of the public and professional economists to predict them. Most expected that more money would tempt more people to keep the wallet. The data showed the reverse.
Why would more money make people more honest?
The researchers' explanation combines two forces: genuine concern for the person who lost the wallet, and a strong aversion to seeing oneself as a thief. Keeping a wallet with a key and a grocery list in it is easy to justify; keeping one with real money inside feels like stealing — and most people do not want to be that person.
What this means if you lose something
- Do not give up. Many finders want to return what they find.
- Make yourself reachable. In the experiment, the business cards gave finders a way to contact the owner. Without contact details, honesty has nowhere to go. See how to label your things safely.
- Make returning it easy and safe. That is what DokiFinder is built for: report your lost item free (a free account is required), a finder posts what they found, and the reward is held in escrow until you confirm the item is back.
Lost your wallet right now? Follow our lost wallet emergency guide. Found one? Here is what to do.
FAQ
Do most people return lost wallets?
In this study, wallets containing money were reported to their owners more often than not — 51% on average with a small amount, and 72% with a larger amount in the countries where that was tested.
Does more money in a wallet make it less likely to be returned?
No — in this research, the opposite. More money made people more likely to contact the owner, in 38 of 40 countries.
Where was the study published?
In Science, 2019: "Civic honesty around the globe" by Cohn, Maréchal, Tannenbaum and Zünd. The headline results were also reported by Scientific American.