Why We Give: Testing Economic and Social Psychological Accounts of Altruism

Abstract

Altruistic behavior poses a challenge to prevailing models of individuals as rational self-interested actors. This examination of individual donations to overseas charities permits an evaluation of competing economic and social psychological theories about altruistic behavior. Data drawn from a 1983 Eurobarometer public opinion survey were used to investigate the determinants of the various motives-moral duty, concern for others, and self-interest-commonly thought to guide altruistic behavior, to test the impact of these motives on reported giving, and to evaluate the nature of strategic interaction among donors to see whether perceived giving by others encourages or discourages giving. Beliefs about the causes of poverty were found to affect moral duty and concern for others. Moral duty and concern have fairly consistent impacts on giving while self-interest was less consistently related to giving. The results also call into question traditional models of strategic interaction suggesting that others' actions serve as cues for giving.