Studies carried out in the last decade have revealed a much clearer picture compared to earlier research.
For example, a study conducted by Psychological Bulletin in 2011 involved meta-analysis of data collected from over 7,700 participants of 105 independent studies. The results were that the bystander effect does exist, but that this effect is reduced when it is clear that an emergency is taking place and that people feel that their lives are threatened.
In 2019, analysis of 219 real-life public altercations caught on CCTV footage in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and South Africa revealed that there was at least one bystander who got involved in nearly 90% of cases.