A Large Scale Test of the Effect of Social Class on Prosocial Behavior

114 Pages Posted: 17 Dec 2015

See all articles by Martin Korndörfer

Martin Korndörfer

University of Leipzig

Boris Egloff

University of Mainz - Department of Psychology

Stefan C. Schmukle

University of Leipzig

Date Written: December 2015

Abstract

Does being from a higher social class lead a person to engage in more or less prosocial behavior? Psychological research has recently provided support for a negative effect of social class on prosocial behavior. However, research outside the field of psychology has mainly found evidence for positive or u-shaped relations. In the present research, we therefore thoroughly examined the effect of social class on prosocial behavior. Moreover, we analyzed whether this effect was moderated by the kind of observed prosocial behavior, the observed country, and the measure of social class. Across eight studies with large and representative international samples, we predominantly found positive effects of social class on prosociality: Higher class individuals were more likely to make a charitable donation and contribute a higher percentage of their family income to charity (32,090 ≥ N ≥ 3,957; Studies 1–3), were more likely to volunteer (37,136 ≥ N ≥ 3,964; Studies 4–6), were more helpful (N = 3,902; Study 7), and were more trusting and trustworthy in an economic game when interacting with a stranger (N = 1,421; Study 8) than lower social class individuals. Although the effects of social class varied somewhat across the kinds of prosocial behavior, countries, and measures of social class, under no condition did we find the negative effect that would have been expected on the basis of previous results reported in the psychological literature. Possible explanations for this divergence and implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

Korndörfer, Martin and Egloff, Boris and Schmukle, Stefan C., A Large Scale Test of the Effect of Social Class on Prosocial Behavior (December 2015). SOEPpaper No. 808, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2704303 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2704303

Martin Korndörfer (Contact Author)

University of Leipzig ( email )

Marschnerstrasse 31
D-04109 Leipzig, 04109
Germany

Boris Egloff

University of Mainz - Department of Psychology ( email )

Mainz
Germany

Stefan C. Schmukle

University of Leipzig ( email )

Marschnerstrasse 31
D-04109 Leipzig, 04109
Germany

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