Variations in Character Involving an Orientation to Promote Good Across Sociodemographic Groups in 22 Countries

An orientation to promote good (i.e., a disposition to take actions that contribute to the good of oneself and others) has been associated with better health and well-being outcomes. However, less is known about how orientation to promote good differs across countries and across sociodemographic groups within different countries. Using a sample of 202,898 adults from 22 diverse countries, this study examined the distribution of orientation to promote good across key sociodemographic groups within each country separately, and cross-nationally by pooling estimates across countries. Our results suggest that population mean levels of promoting good vary substantially across countries. In the pooled results, the means of promoting good also vary across most of the sociodemographic factors that we examined. Specifically, individuals who are older, female, married, employed or retired, highly educated, attending religious services frequently, and native-born reported higher means of promoting good than those in other demographic groups. In country-specific analyses, the sociodemographic variation in promoting good also differs across countries, indicating diverse societal influences. This study provides novel insights into the social distribution of orientation to promote good, which paves the way for future investigations into sociocultural influences that may shape individuals’ expression of character across different national contexts.