Working Paper: NBER ID: w15064
Authors: Christina M. Fong; Erzo F.P. Luttmer
Abstract: We present a dictator game experiment where the recipients are local charities that serve the poor. Donors consist of approximately 1000 participants from a nationally representative respondent panel that is maintained by a private survey research firm, Knowledge Networks. We randomly manipulate the perceived race and worthiness of the charity recipients by showing respondents an audiovisual presentation about the recipients. The experiment yields three main findings. First, we find significant racial bias in perceptions of worthiness: respondents rate recipients of their own racial group as more worthy. Second, respondents give significantly more when the recipients are described as more worthy. These findings may lead one to expect that respondents would also give more generously when shown pictures of recipients belonging to their own racial group. However, our third result shows that this is not the case; despite our successfully manipulating perceptions of race, giving does not respond significantly to recipient race. Thus, while our respondents do seem to rate ingroup members as more worthy, they appear to overcome this bias when it comes to giving.
Keywords: charitable giving; race; worthiness; generosity; dictator game
JEL Codes: C93; D63; D64; H41; J71
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Recipient race (Y60) | Amount donated (D64) |
| Perceived worthiness (D46) | Amount donated (D64) |
| Racial bias in perceptions of worthiness (J15) | Perceived worthiness (D46) |