We investigate in this paper how locus of control beliefs affect individuals’ voluntary provisions of public goods in various contexts. Locus of control beliefs refer to the extent that individuals attribute control over events in life to themselves, rather than to sources beyond their influence. Based on several data sets from Germany and the U.S., we find that individuals who relate consequences to their own behavior are more likely to contribute to climate change mitigation, to donate to charitable causes, to caste a vote in parliamentary elections and to donate more often blood. Thus, we provide comprehensive evidence that locus of control beliefs influence whether individuals contribute to public goods.