After months of a pandemic, lockdowns, and civil unrest, it’s easy to lose heart in the state of the nation. But the Treasury Department on Friday announced the release of a study that should remind the public that the country is a fundamentally good and decent place and that their countrymen are fundamentally good and decent people.

In 2019, before the coronavirus, you may recall that the United States was enjoying its strongest economy in a generation. Last year, it turns out, also marked the third year in a row in which the public set a new record for charitable contributions.