Organ donation and reciprocity

Bibliographic Data

ID11289909
AuthorsHua-Jing Han (University of Bonn), Matthias Wibral (0000-0002-7643-2841, Maastricht University, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume81
Pages102331
Publication date2020-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Economic Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0167-4870 • E-ISSN: 1872-7719
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.joep.2020.102331
OpenAlexW3093001780
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited29

The willingness to donate organs post-mortem varies considerably both across and within countries. Linking these differences to personal characteristics is an important focus of research investigating the supply of donor organs. Anecdotal evidence and previous findings indirectly suggest that the desire to reciprocate others’ (un)willingness to donate organs plays an important role in the decision to become an organ donor. We use individual measures of reciprocity in a large, representative survey in Germany and relate these to organ donation attitudes and behavior. Higher positive reciprocity is associated with a higher general willingness to donate organs, but it does not correlate with donor card possession. Individuals with higher negative reciprocity have a lower general willingness to donate organs and are less likely to have a donor card. Our findings open up the possibility of a double dividend of measures that increase organ donations. These could yield an additional increase of organ donations via a feedback loop through reciprocity

Altruism (biology · Donation · Organ donation · Political science · Reciprocity (cultural anthropology · Blood donation and transfusion practices · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Law · Medicine · Organ Donation and Transplantation · Psychology · Social Psychology · Internal Medicine · Transplantation

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