Hungary’s place on the ‘Most Honest Cities’ list – Reader’s Digest

Reader’s Digest set out to determine where the most honest city is in the world. To find the answer, they conducted a worldwide experiment with strategically placed ‘lost’ wallets to test people’s reactions.

The experiment was to see how many of the 192 wallets scattered at various points in the selected 16 cities around the world would be returned. Each wallet contained $50 worth of local currency, coupons, family photos, business cards and, most importantly, a name and a phone number. A total of 12 wallets were left in each city but how many got returned varies a lot from city to city.

Top 5 most honest cities

1. Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki won the experiment, with 11 wallets out of the 12 returned. One of the people who found a wallet claimed that, because Finland is such a small country, it is important for the people to be honest, so that they can trust each other. They also said that:

“We have little corruption and we don’t even run red lights.”

Others explained their kindness by pointing out what an essential trait honesty is, a sort of key to getting along in life.

2. Mumbai, India

Mumbai came in 2nd place, with 9 out of the 12 wallets returned. There, some people claimed the reason they returned the wallets was their conscience or setting a good example. A wallet contains so many important documents that replacing them would be a slow and lengthy process, on top of the lost money. A mother of two said that

“I teach my children to be honest, just like my parents taught me.”

3. Budapest, Hungary

Hungary came 3rd in the experiment, as Hungarians returned 8 out of 12 wallets. One girl claimed she returned the wallet because of a personal memory of her. She was with her father once when they found a lost wallet on the side of the road.

“When we reached the owner he was very grateful: without the papers in the wallet he would have had to postpone his wedding which was to take place the very same day!”

So, one of the main reasons for returning the wallets was the importance of the documents here as well.

3. New York City, USA

Interestingly, New York City finished along with Hungary, with an equal number of 8 returned wallets. This may be surprising, however, as one of the finders said,

“Everyone says New Yorkers are unfriendly but they’re really quite nice people”

Another person explained that it was the family photos in the wallet that made her want to return the wallet – after all, a father of two must need it. Someone else pointed out that,

“It’s so easy to be cynical. But 9/11 especially instilled companionship in everyone.”

5. Moscow, Russia

The 5th place was won by Moscow, with 7 returned wallets. For the Russian finders, one of the prime motivation was a desire to do good, to be a good example and to follow parents’ teachings. An Emergency Situations officer who handed back the wallet said that “I am an officer and an officer’s ethical code binds me.”, while another person said that