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How economic inequality affects prosocial behavior in children across development
Kelly Kirkland1, Jolanda Jetten2, Matti Wilks3
1Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|June 19, 2021
Summary
Economic inequality impacts children's prosocial behavior. While experimental inequality didn't change donations, real-world inequality correlated with less giving, and older children showed more fairness.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Previous research links economic inequality to reduced adult prosocial behavior.
- Limited understanding exists regarding the impact of inequality on children's prosociality.
- This study investigates children's responses to varying levels of economic disparity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how experimentally manipulated economic inequality affects children's donation and resource division behavior.
- To explore the relationship between children's age, fairness perceptions, and prosocial actions in unequal contexts.
- To analyze the influence of real-world neighborhood inequality on children's prosocial tendencies.
Main Methods:
- 128 children aged 4–9 participated in a game involving point distribution under high and low inequality conditions.
- Children's donation behavior (giving stickers to a depicted poor child) was measured.
- Resource division among puppets and fairness perceptions were assessed.
Main Results:
- Experimental manipulation of inequality did not significantly alter children's sticker donations.
- Exploratory analysis indicated that higher neighborhood inequality correlated with lower donation rates.
- With increasing age, children demonstrated greater concern for poorer individuals in resource distribution.
Conclusions:
- Children's prosocial behavior, particularly resource division, is influenced by age and perceptions of fairness.
- Real-world economic inequality, not just experimental conditions, may shape children's prosocial tendencies.
- This research provides foundational insights into children's developing responses to economic disparities.
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