Abstract
Recent research suggests that affluent individuals adopt agentic self-concepts, striving to stand out from others and to master the environment on their own. The present study provides a road test of this idea, showing that this theorizing can be utilized to increase charitable giving among the affluent, when individuals do not realize that their behavior is being studied. In a naturalistic field experiment conducted as part of an annual fundraising campaign (N = 12,316), we randomly assigned individuals from an affluent sample to view messages focused on agency (vs. communion). Messages that focused on personal agency (vs. communion) increased the total amount of money that individuals in the sample donated by approximately 82%. These findings provide evidence for a simple, theoretically-grounded method of encouraging donations among those with the greatest capacity to give.
Highlights
It might seem obvious: wealthier individuals should be the most financially generous
See Supplemental Material (Table C in S1 Text). These results suggest that the effectiveness of the agentic messages differed based on the amount of money that respondents donated to previous campaigns: alumni who had donated more money to previous university fundraising campaigns were more likely to be influenced by the agentic messages
While past research has found evidence that messages that provide donors with agency are especially effective for the wealthiest individuals [18, 20], we found mixed evidence for this idea
Summary
It might seem obvious: wealthier individuals should be the most financially generous. Wealthy individuals are in the best position to help those in need. Suggest that there is no relationship [3] or even a positive relationship between affluence and financial generosity [4]. Previous research suggests that individual differences in wealth are associated with differences in self-concepts (i.e., how people think about themselves). Wealthier individuals typically develop more agentic self-concepts, defining themselves primarily through their own capacity for personal control [5]. Money enables people to achieve their goals without help from others, and wealthier individuals typically adopt agentic self-concepts, striving to stand out and master their environments on their own [5,6]
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