Empathic concern for children and the gender-donations gap

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Economics
• Psychology
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Persistent gender disparities exist in charitable giving patterns.
• The role of emotional responses, particularly empathic concern, in driving donations is not fully understood.
• Understanding factors influencing charitable behavior is crucial for effective fundraising and social impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether empathic concern mediates gender differences in charitable giving.
• To examine the impact of personal narratives in charitable appeals on donation behavior and emotional responses.
• To determine if evoking empathic concern through children's stories can explain gender gaps in donations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a dictator game experiment with a charitable organization as the recipient.
• Employed real-world charitable appeal videos, varying content to include children's personal stories.
• Measured donation behavior and self-reported empathic concern across different experimental conditions.
• Applied causal mediation analysis to assess the role of empathic concern in gender differences.

Main Results:

• Females donated 63% more than males in conditions featuring children's personal stories, unlike the baseline.
• Treatment videos increased self-reported empathic concern in both genders, but only increased donations among females.
• Empathic concern explained 17% of the observed gender differences in charitable giving.

Conclusions:

• Children's personal stories in charitable appeals effectively evoke empathic concern and increase donations, particularly among females.
• Empathic concern plays a significant, albeit partial, role in explaining the gender gap in charitable giving.
• Targeted use of emotionally resonant narratives can enhance charitable giving and potentially reduce gender disparities.