Urbanization is perhaps the most significant and rapid cause of demographic change in human societies, with more than half the world's population now living in cities. Urban lifestyles have been associated with increased risk for mental disorders, greater stress responses, and lower trust. However, it is not known whether a general tendency towards prosocial behaviour varies across the urban–rural gradient, or whether other factors such as neighbourhood wealth might be more predictive of variation in prosocial behaviour. Here, we present findings from three real-world experiments conducted in 37 different neighbourhoods, in 12 cities and 12 towns and villages across the UK. We measured whether people: (i) posted a lost letter; (ii) returned a dropped item; and (iii) stopped to let someone cross the road in each neighbourhood. We expected to find that people were less willing to help a stranger in more urban locations, with increased diffusion of responsibility and perceived anonymity in cities being measured as variables that might drive this effect. Our data did not support this hypothesis. There was no effect of either urbanicity or population density on people's willingness to help a stranger. Instead, the neighbourhood level of deprivation explained most of the variance in helping behaviour with help being offered less frequently in more deprived neighbourhoods. These findings highlight the importance of socio-economic factors, rather than urbanicity per se, in shaping variation in prosocial behaviour in humans.

中文翻译：

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邻里财富，而不是城市化，预示着对陌生人的亲社会性

城市化可能是人类社会人口变化最重要和最迅速的原因，目前世界上一半以上的人口居住在城市。城市生活方式与精神障碍风险增加、压力反应加剧和信任度降低有关。然而，尚不清楚亲社会行为的总体趋势是否在城乡梯度上有所不同，或者其他因素（例如邻里财富）是否更能预测亲社会行为的变化。在这里，我们展示了在英国 12 个城市和 12 个城镇和村庄的 37 个不同社区进行的三个真实世界实验的结果。我们衡量了人们是否：(i) 发布了丢失的信件；(ii) 退回掉落的物品；(iii) 在每个街区停下来让某人过马路。我们预计会发现人们不太愿意在更多城市地区帮助陌生人，因为城市中的责任分散和感知匿名性被衡量为可能推动这种影响的变量。我们的数据不支持这一假设。城市化程度或人口密度对人们帮助陌生人的意愿没有影响。相反，社区的贫困程度解释了帮助行为的大部分差异，而在较贫困的社区提供帮助的频率较低。这些发现强调了社会经济因素在塑造人类亲社会行为变化方面的重要性，而不是城市化本身。随着城市中责任分散和感知匿名性的增加被衡量为可能推动这种影响的变量。我们的数据不支持这一假设。城市化程度或人口密度对人们帮助陌生人的意愿没有影响。相反，社区的贫困程度解释了帮助行为的大部分差异，而在较贫困的社区提供帮助的频率较低。这些发现强调了社会经济因素在塑造人类亲社会行为变化方面的重要性，而不是城市化本身。随着城市中责任分散和感知匿名性的增加被衡量为可能推动这种影响的变量。我们的数据不支持这一假设。城市化程度或人口密度对人们帮助陌生人的意愿没有影响。相反，社区的贫困程度解释了帮助行为的大部分差异，而在较贫困的社区提供帮助的频率较低。这些发现强调了社会经济因素在塑造人类亲社会行为变化方面的重要性，而不是城市化本身。社区的贫困程度解释了帮助行为的大部分差异，在较贫困的社区提供帮助的频率较低。这些发现强调了社会经济因素在塑造人类亲社会行为变化方面的重要性，而不是城市化本身。社区的贫困程度解释了帮助行为的大部分差异，在较贫困的社区提供帮助的频率较低。这些发现强调了社会经济因素在塑造人类亲社会行为变化方面的重要性，而不是城市化本身。