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Hidden altruism in a real-world setting.
1Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, , London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Biology Letters
|January 31, 2014
Summary
People may hide large donations to avoid social repercussions, contrary to expectations that reputation concerns always encourage public cooperation. This study reveals a nuanced relationship between donation size, anonymity, and social image.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Social Psychology
- Online Philanthropy
Background:
- Cooperative behavior is often driven by reputation concerns, leading to potential benefits like increased influence and social status.
- Theoretical models predict that individuals increase public contributions to enhance their image score, especially for larger amounts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between donation size, public visibility, and donor anonymity on an online fundraising platform.
- To examine whether individuals conform to predictions of enhanced public cooperation with larger donations or exhibit different behavior.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of donation data from an online fundraising website.
- Statistical examination of the correlation between donation amounts (low, mid-range, high) and the choice between public or anonymous donation.
Main Results:
- Donors are more likely to choose anonymity for extremely low and extremely high donations.
- Mid-range donations are more frequently publicized.
- This contrasts with the expectation that larger contributions are always made public to boost reputation.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that individuals may strategically hide exceptionally large donations to avoid potential negative social repercussions, such as ostracism or punishment.
- Reputation management in cooperative contexts is more complex than simple public display of contributions.
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