Older adults across the globe are more willing to help others, but mostly those in the same country

Older adults around the world are more willing to donate to charity than younger people, but will prioritise charitable organisations operating within their own country, new research finds. Older adults also had stronger self-reported preferences for their 'in-group' - people in the same country. They were more likely to report identifying with their country and agreed more strongly with statements such as "My country deserves special treatment". The study, led by researchers at the University of Birmingham, University of Oxford and University of Vienna is published today in Nature Aging. Participants were given a hypothetical amount of money, equivalent to the average daily income in their country. They were asked how much they wanted to keep and how much they would be willing to donate to a charity helping victims of the coronavirus pandemic in their own country or a charity helping abroad. They were also asked how much they had been complying with guidance to social distance, as well as a range of questions asking about their personality and wellbeing.