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Publications
  • March 2023
  • Article
  • Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Giving-by-proxy Triggers Subsequent Charitable Behavior

By: Samantha Kassirer, Jillian J. Jordan and Maryam Kouchaki
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:14
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Abstract

How can we foster habits of charitable giving? Here, we investigate the potential power of giving-by-proxy experiences, drawing inspiration from a growing trend in marketing and corporate social responsibility contexts in which organizations make charitable donations on behalf of employees or consumers. We create laboratory models of giving-by-proxy in workplace (Studies 1a-3) and consumer (Study 4) contexts. We then investigate how giving-by-proxy experiences (with varying amounts of autonomy) influence subsequent charitable behavior. Across five preregistered studies (N = 3255), we provide evidence that (i) giving-by-proxy experiences (that mirror those that typically occur in both workplace and consumer contexts) trigger increases in subsequent charitable behavior, (ii) this process is mediated by participants taking “charitable credit” for their behavior, and (iii) manipulating the amount of autonomy involved in the giving-by-proxy experience does not moderate these effects. Results highlight potential societal impacts of giving-by-proxy policies and campaigns.

Keywords

Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Behavior

Citation

Kassirer, Samantha, Jillian J. Jordan, and Maryam Kouchaki. "Giving-by-proxy Triggers Subsequent Charitable Behavior." Art. 104438. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 105 (March 2023).
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About The Author

Jillian J. Jordan

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • October 2022
    • Current Opinion in Psychology

    When Does Moral Engagement Risk Triggering a Hypocrite Penalty?

    By: Jillian J. Jordan and Roseanna Sommers
    • 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Punishing Without Looking for Reputational Gain

    By: Jillian J. Jordan and Nour S. Kteily
    • October 15, 2021
    • Science Advances

    Virtuous Victims

    By: Jillian J. Jordan and Maryam Kouchaki
More from the Authors
  • When Does Moral Engagement Risk Triggering a Hypocrite Penalty? By: Jillian J. Jordan and Roseanna Sommers
  • Punishing Without Looking for Reputational Gain By: Jillian J. Jordan and Nour S. Kteily
  • Virtuous Victims By: Jillian J. Jordan and Maryam Kouchaki
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