Looking up or down on the social ladder
How socioeconomic comparisons shape judgments about monetary and time donations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12166267 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rafael Demczuk (0000-0001-8567-5098, Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics Catholic University of Portugal Lisbon Portugal, corresponding author), Danielle Mantovani (0000-0001-7456-304X, Business School Universidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba Brazil), Daniel Fernandes (0000-0001-8450-8060, Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics Catholic University of Portugal Lisbon Portugal) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2022-12-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Behavioral Decision Making (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0894-3257 • E-ISSN: 1099-0771 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/bdm.2308 |
| OpenAlex | W4311833804 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 72 |
The increasing inequality rate within countries worldwide makes social comparisons more evident. In seven experiments, we demonstrate that people comparing themselves to others in a superior socioeconomic position (upward comparison) judge that wealthier others should donate more time and money to charity. However, social comparison to others in an inferior position (downward comparison) does not always increase monetary donations. This discrepancy in prescriptions for monetary donations between those who make upward and downward social comparisons is driven by judgments about relative spare money; while people making upward comparisons believe that others have more spare money, people making downward comparisons only think they have more spare money, and should donate more, when reminded of their hierarchical position at the time of judgment. Low meritocracy beliefs exacerbate the difference between the prescriptions of how much oneself and others should donate given their socioeconomic position. This differential pattern among individuals making upward and downward social comparisons helps to propagate economic inequality. People making upward comparisons prescribe to wealthier others the responsibility to donate to charity, who in turn may not think they should donate more money. These findings have implications for charitable and non‐profit organizations and contribute to research on social comparison, inequality, and judgments about monetary and time donations
Demographic economics · Economics · Inequality · Political science · Population · Position (finance · Social class · Social status · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Spare part · Cultural Differences and Values · Demography · Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies · Law · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology · Finance
Resource Slack and Propensity to Discount Delayed Investments of Time Versus Money.
Social class and prosocial behavior
The norm of self-interest.
Moral Identity and Judgments of Charitable Behaviors
Economic inequality increases risk taking
High economic inequality leads higher-income individuals to be less generous
Higher social class predicts increased unethical behavior
A Large Scale Test of the Effect of Social Class on Prosocial Behavior
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Social Class and Prosocial Behavior
Global Income Distribution
Global Income Inequality, 1820–2020
Distributional National Accounts
Comparing Is Believing
The Martyrdom Effect
The effect of perceived financial vulnerability on prosocial activity
Belief in Meritocracy Reexamined
The Time vs. Money Effect”
Social class, sense of control, and social explanation
Who wants to get to the top? Class and lay theories about power
Priming meritocracy and the psychological justification of inequality
Similarity focus and support for redistribution
Class impressions
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Both selfishness and selflessness start with the self
Power and Legitimizing Ideologies in Hierarchy‐Enhancing vs. Hierarchy‐Attenuating Environments
False Consciousness or Class Awareness? Local Income Inequality, Personal Economic Position, and Belief in American Meritocracy
Social class, power, and selfishness
Income inequality is associated with stronger social comparison effects
The meaning and role of ideology in system justification and resistance for high- and low-status people
I don’t want the money, I just want your time
Status and solidarity in social comparison
The merit of meritocracy
Do the disadvantaged legitimize the social system? A large-scale test of the status–legitimacy hypothesis
Having less, giving more
The Link Between Income, Income Inequality, and Prosocial Behavior Around the World
The Case for a Progressive Tax
Why people prefer unequal societies
Better or Different? How Political Ideology Shapes Preferences for Differentiation in the Social Hierarchy
Power Distance Belief, Power, and Charitable Giving
How Construals of Money Versus Time Impact Consumer Charitable Giving
Why Are Donors More Generous with Time Than Money? The Role of Perceived Control over Donations on Charitable Giving
Social Class Shapes Donation Allocation Preferences
Accepting Inequality Deters Responsibility
Prosocial Behavior in Intergroup Relations
The Nature of Slacktivism
Friends of Victims
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |