Seeing wealth as a responsibility improves attitudes towards taxation

Whillans, Ashley V.; Wispinski, Nathan J.

doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2016.04.009

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Our results are consistent with past findings demonstrating that prosocial inclinations are associated with increased support for taxation [12–14]. However, while past work has observed a link between generalized concern for others and tax compliance, the present research investigates whether people’s perception of the tax itself impacts their support for taxation, regardless of their personal prosocial inclinations.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Other research has found that seeing fellow citizens in a positive light is correlated with favorable tax perceptions [13]. Finally, experimental evidence indicates that people reminded that wealth entails a responsibility to help others viewed taxation more positively than people who read neutral statements [14]. Together, these findings suggest that a prosocial orientation–or general tendency to care about the needs of others–is associated with and leads to greater support for taxation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…The task was designed to be simple so that all participants would earn the full payment ($5 CDN). Participants signed a receipt acknowledging they received $5 and were told that they would be taxed 20% ($1 CDN) as part of a new lab initiative to support the local student government (“Simon Fraser University Student Society” or “SFSS”; see [14] for similar methods).…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prosocial perceptions of taxation predict support for taxes

et al. 2019

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Many people report disliking taxes despite the fact that tax funds are used to provide essential services for the taxpayer and fellow citizens. In light of past research demonstrating that people are more likely to engage in prosocial action when they recognize how their assistance positively impacts the recipient, we examine whether recognition of how one’s tax contributions help other citizens–perceived prosocial taxation–predicts more supportive views of taxation and greater engagement. We conducted three correlational studies using North American samples (N = 902, including a nationally representative sample of over 500 US residents) in which we find that perceived prosocial taxation is associated with greater enjoyment paying taxes, willingness to continue paying taxes, and larger financial contributions in a tax-like payment. Findings hold when controlling for several demographic variables, participants’ general prosocial orientation, and the perception that tax dollars are being put to good use. In addition, we examined data from six waves of the World Values Survey (N > 474,000 across 107 countries). We find that people expressing trust in their government and civil service–thereby indicating some confidence that their taxes will be used in prosocial ways–are significantly more likely to state that it is never justifiable to cheat on taxes. Together, these studies offer a new and optimistic perspective on taxation; people may hold more positive views and be more willing to contribute if they believe their contribution benefits others.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prosocial perceptions of taxation predict support for taxes

et al. 2019

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“…The relationship of happiness, positive emotion, and satisfaction to intention has been show in various (Barclay, 2013;Su and Hsu, 2013;Corcoran, 2015;Grolleau, Sutan and Vranceanu, 2016;Urueña and Hidalgo, 2016;Whillans, Wispinski and Dunn, 2016). Therefore, the authors propose a relationship between generosity, positive emotion, and intention.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Rudd, Aaker, & Norton (2014) mentions that framing concrete goals of prosocial acts brings greater happiness. The reminder about one's responsibility to help others will make people feel better about contributing (Whillans, Wispinski and Dunn, 2016). Aknin et al (2013) also shows that happiness because of giving money can be elevated when the donor knows how the funds are used.…”

Section: Consequences Of Generositymentioning

confidence: 99%

Generosity’s antecedents and outcomes - A proposed relationship between Generosity and Intention in Indonesia’s BPJS Kesehatan

Dwidienawati¹,

Abdinagoro²

2018

JBRMR

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The Link Between Income, Income Inequality, and Prosocial Behavior Around the World

Macchia

Whillans

2021

Social Psychology

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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.

show abstract

Seeing wealth as a responsibility improves attitudes towards taxation

Cited by 9 publications

References 24 publications

Prosocial perceptions of taxation predict support for taxes

Prosocial perceptions of taxation predict support for taxes

Generosity’s antecedents and outcomes - A proposed relationship between Generosity and Intention in Indonesia’s BPJS Kesehatan

The Link Between Income, Income Inequality, and Prosocial Behavior Around the World

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