Does Charity Begin at Home? National Identity and Donating to Domestic Versus International Charities

Abstract

Despite the increased social significance currently attached to national identity, little is known about how national group attachment may correlate with the decision to donate to domestic versus international charities. The current study brings together literature on national identity and charitable giving to empirically validate a model of charitable ethnocentrism and cosmopolitanism. The substantive study is based on an online survey administered to a sample of 1004 UK respondents. The findings indicate that internationalism leads to an increased preference for international charities and a negative inclination towards domestic alternatives. Conversely, nationalism leads to a preference for domestic charities, but a surprisingly non-significant view on international causes. This study adds to the limited empirical research on charitable choice, specifically international giving, and has implications for fundraisers of both domestic and international charities. The work also provides valid and reliable scales for the assessment of charitable ethnocentrism and charitable cosmopolitanism.

Exploring the role of charitable ethnocentrism and donation motives in international giving: Empirical evidence from Germany

“…The negative effect is in line with previous consumer research showing that ethnocentric tendencies demotivate behaviors that benefit the outgroup (Shankarmahesh, 2006). Furthermore, we extend Hart and Robson's (2019) research on charitable ethnocentrism. In addition to this study, we provide empirical evidence that an individual's ethnocentric disposition has a negative influence on international donation intention.…”

“…To date, the effect of ethnocentrism on giving behavior remains largely unexplored, except for a recent study by Hart and Robson (2019).…”

“…According to Hart and Robson (2019), charitable ethnocentrism indicates a dislike of international causes. In their study, the authors investigate how national attachment influences donors' preferences for international versus domestic charities.…”

Many stones can form an arch, singly none: (Re‐)establishing trust in charities

“…Generally, research has indicated that small local charities are more trusted by the public than larger charities (Hart & Robson, 2019; O'Loughlin‐Banks & Raciti, 2014). Moreover, the area of activity of a charity has been shown to influence the level of public trust.…”

Who Gives, Who Gets, and How do We Know? The Promises and Limitations of Administrative Data for Cross-border Philanthropy Tracking

“…Some studies have looked at determinants of individual cross-border giving. These studies include why people give to causes/countries far from home (Appe & Oreg, 2020;Casale & Baumann, 2015;Grimson et al, 2020), the influence of national identity (Hart & Robson, 2019), and how repressive NGO environments influence donor giving (Chaudhry & Heiss, 2020). Other studies have attempted to measure cross-border philanthropy flows within a limited context such as corporate foundations and philanthropy (Hornstein & Zhao, 2018;Seo et al, 2018), diaspora philanthropy (Baker et al, 2007;Carpi & Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, 2019;Newland et al, 2010), and the interaction between governments and the civil sector (Ibrahim, 2015;Oelberger & Shachter, 2020).…”