How economic inequality affects prosocial behavior in children across development

Kirkland, Kelly; Jetten, Jolanda; Wilks, Matti; Nielsen, Mark

doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105202

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…People living in highly unequal environments have lower levels of prosocial intentions (e.g., helping, donation, and voluntary activity) and are less likely to engage in prosocial behaviour. In accordance with previous studies, economic inequality is negatively correlated with prosocial behaviour (Kirkland et al., 2021b). As a result of economic inequality, resources are restricted and individuals experience high levels of uncertainty (Bapuji & Chrispal, 2020; García‐Sánchez et al., 2018).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…There is accumulating evidence that prosocial behaviours are a marker of healthy social functioning, and they can promote adaptive outcomes and mitigate maladaptive outcomes (Dovidio et al., 2006). Therefore, many researchers begin to pay attention to whether economic inequality affects individuals’ prosocial behaviour (Kirkland et al., 2021b; Nishi et al., 2015). However, most studies exploring the relationship between economic inequality and prosocial behaviour have only focused on the objective indicators of economic inequality (Côté et al., 2015; Du et al., 2020; Schmukle et al., 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One study shows that people are less willing to cooperate in repeated laboratory experiments by manipulating social networks in terms of how the visibility of others’ wealth was highlighted (Nishi et al., 2015). Also, a study found that children living in areas with high levels of economic inequality performed fewer charitable acts (Kirkland et al., 2021b). The findings suggest that once people become aware of unequal wealth distributions, they are less likely to cooperate with others.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

When and why does economic inequality predict prosocial behaviour? Examining the role of interpersonal trust among different targets

Lin,

Li,

Guo

et al. 2023

Euro J Social Psych

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Previous research suggests that economic inequality has caused a wide range of negative societal impacts. However, little is known about how economic inequality influences prosocial behaviour as a socioecological environment determinant. In five studies (N = 62,342), we examined whether economic inequality reduces prosocial behaviour by decreasing interpersonal trust and the moderation role of interpersonal targets. Studies 1, 2a, and 2b showed that interpersonal trust mediated the negative relationship between perceived economic inequality and prosocial behaviour. In Study 3, we used data from the World Values Survey to explore the relation between inequality and trust and found that it was moderated by the closeness of trust targets. In Study 4, we demonstrated that economic inequality only reduced trust and prosocial behaviour towards strangers, but not among friends and family. Taken together, the current research shed light on how economic inequality undermines trust and negatively impacts prosocial behaviour among different targets.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

When and why does economic inequality predict prosocial behaviour? Examining the role of interpersonal trust among different targets

Lin,

Li,

Guo

et al. 2023

Euro J Social Psych

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There is also nascent body of work on the main effect of economic inequality for pro-social behaviour [ 14 , 51 – 53 ]. These studies, too, reach conflicting conclusions and operationalise inequality either at an aggregate level or as part of an artificial lab manipulation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher income individuals are more generous when local economic inequality is high

Suss

2023

PLoS ONE

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There is ongoing debate about whether the relationship between income and pro-social behaviour depends on economic inequality. Studies investigating this question differ in their conclusions but are consistent in measuring inequality at aggregated geographic levels (i.e. at the state, region, or country-level). I hypothesise that local, more immediate manifestations of inequality are important for driving pro-social behaviour, and test the interaction between income and inequality at a much finer geographical resolution than previous studies. I first analyse the charitable giving of US households using ZIP-code level measures of inequality and data on tax deductible charitable donations reported to the IRS. I then examine whether the results generalise using a large-scale UK household survey and neighbourhood-level inequality measures. In both samples I find robust evidence of a significant interaction effect, albeit in the opposite direction as that which has been previously postulated–higher income individuals behave more pro-socially rather than less when local inequality is high.

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Effect of perceived economic mobility and income on charitable behavior

Zhao

Sui

Zhou

2023

Psychology and Marketing

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Despite the prevalence of declining economic mobility and its behavioral consequences, economic mobility has received surprisingly little attention in the marketing literature. Based on research showing that reducing social vigilance leads to more charitable behavior, we propose that higher (vs. lower) perceived economic mobility promotes more charitable behavior of lower-income (vs. higher-income) consumers by reducing their social vigilance. Four studies with multimethods provide converging evidence for these predictions. Furthermore, we show that reduced social vigilance mediates this effect, and we rule out the potential alternative explanations (i.e., current mood and sense of control). These results enhance our understanding of economic mobility and provide implications for nonprofit organizations to raise donations.

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How economic inequality affects prosocial behavior in children across development

Cited by 6 publications

References 32 publications

When and why does economic inequality predict prosocial behaviour? Examining the role of interpersonal trust among different targets

When and why does economic inequality predict prosocial behaviour? Examining the role of interpersonal trust among different targets

Higher income individuals are more generous when local economic inequality is high

Effect of perceived economic mobility and income on charitable behavior

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