Fairness and Altruism Among High School Students - A Global Study in Behavioral Economics

Abstract

Understanding differences in economic decision-making between populations is critical in a global economy. The purpose of this study was to determine what factors affect high school students’ (the next generation of leaders) altruistic tendencies. My hypothesis was that the economic system of a student’s country would affect their degree of altruism and fairness. Specifically, students living in socialist countries would tend to act fairer and more generously in economic decision-making since the basis of socialist ideology is economic equality. This novel study of teenagers globally was conducted using three classic behavioral economics experiments (the Dictator Game, Ultimatum Game, and Third-Party Punishment Game) translated into an electronic survey including demographic questions. The anonymous surveys were distributed to teenage students in five countries with different socio-economic systems (Malawi, Taiwan, Tanzania, UAE, and USA). The analyses of the responses (n=201) supported my hypothesis. The mean altruism score of more socialist countries (18.3) was significantly higher than capitalist countries (11). Additionally, there were significant correlations between altruism and religiosity and gender. Those who reported practicing religion every day were significantly less altruistic than those that practiced religion infrequently. Data also showed that females in the study were more altruistic than males. These data indicate that country, religiosity, and gender affect perceptions of fairness and should be considerations in multi-national / multi-cultural negotiations, transactions and other interactions. A longitudinal study would further our understanding of how these differences may change as teenagers transition to adulthood and experience more economic and cross-cultural interactions.