You’ve seen them and maybe, you’re one of them. Being a confident person is awesome but are most people confident? Confident people are more successful but does this stand true when reversed? And what about everyone else in the world? Let’s find out.
No, most people aren’t confident. In fact, research shows that less than 50% of people report being confident in their abilities. This is particularly true for women, who are more likely to feel insecure when they’re younger and doubt their abilities.
According to a UK based research:
- Only 50% of men believe they’re intelligent.
- 85% of women don’t believe they’re beautiful.
- More than 50% of youth worry about what other people think of them.
Image source: www.geehair.com
As can be seen in the infographic, this 2021 study further delved deeper to understand the correlation between confidence and gender, confidence and age, etc. This was a small study of just 2000 UK residents but paints quite an interesting picture about confidence.
If we were to come to an answer based on this research, the answer to the question “Are most people confident?” would lean more towards “no”.
Prominent Statistics: People and Confidence
85% People Worldwide Have Low Self-Esteem
This revelation stated in Psychology Today shows that most people are not confident. Many factors affect a person’s confidence. These are:
- Self-concept
- Childhood experiences
- External factors
Many others can be added depending on a person’s individual life journey.
Women’s Confidence Increases More With Age
According to research by Zenger Folkman, women’s confidence is linked to their experience. This is why they get more confident as they age and are less confident when they’re young. This graph reveals that there’s a gender gap in confidence levels.
Image source: www.forbes.com
Some People Are Born Confident
Research about the role of genetics in confidence is limited. However, there are some studies like the ones from geneticist and psychologist Robert Plomin and the National Institute of Health that indicate that some people are confident because they’re born with it.
Around two decades ago, Robert Plomin studied 15,000 sets of twins in Britain. The subjects were 7 and 9 years old and were given tests for three subjects: math, writing, and science.
They were asked a simple question where they had to rate how confident they were about their skills or abilities in each of these subjects. After seeing the results, Plomin concluded that genetics can affect people’s confidence by a whopping 25%-50% and the rest comes from the effects of environment, upbringing and experiences.
The Factors That Influence Confidence
Final Thoughts
According to the various studies and researches mentioned here, the data is either limited or varies greatly depending on multiple factors like region, gender, personal experiences and more. There’s no definite answer.
What we can conclude is that lack of confidence stems from deeply rooted issues within the self. It’s a conditioning that is either projected by society or is a reflection of how we deal with the situations in our lives.
There’s a greater need for mental health support so that one day when someone asks “Are most people confident?”, we have enough data from mental health and personal development communities to say yes.
