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  • January 10, 2022
  • Article
  • Social Psychology

The Link Between Income, Income Inequality, and Prosocial Behavior Around the World: A Multiverse Approach

By: Lucia Macchia and Ashley V. Whillans
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:12
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Abstract

The questions of whether high-income individuals are more prosocial than low-income individuals and whether income inequality moderates this effect have received extensive attention. We shed new light on this topic by analyzing a large-scale dataset with a representative sample of respondents from 133 countries (N = 948,837). We conduct a multiverse analysis with 30 statistical models: 15 models predicting the likelihood of donating money to charity and 15 models predicting the likelihood of volunteering time to an organization. Across all model specifications, high-income individuals were more likely to donate their money and volunteer their time than low-income individuals. High-income individuals were more likely to engage in prosocial behavior under high (vs. low) income inequality. Avenues for future research and potential mechanisms are discussed.

Keywords

Prosocial Behavior; Income Inequality; Behavior; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Income

Citation

Macchia, Lucia, and Ashley V. Whillans. "The Link Between Income, Income Inequality, and Prosocial Behavior Around the World: A Multiverse Approach." Social Psychology (January 10, 2022): 375–386.
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About The Author

Ashley V. Whillans

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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  • ING Türkiye: Flexible Work in a Competitive Banking Environment By: Ashley Whillans and Nico Schaefer
  • Overcoming Barriers to Employee Ownership: Insights from Small and Medium-Sized Businesses By: John Guzek and Ashley Whillans
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