Working Paper: NBER ID: w20385
Authors: Hannah Trachtman; Andrew Steinkruger; Mackenzie Wood; Adam Wooster; James Andreoni; James J Murphy; Justin M Rao
Abstract: If being asked to give to charity stimulates an emotional response, like empathy, that makes giving difficult to resist, a natural self-control mechanism might be to avoid being asked in the first place. We replicate a result from a field experiment that points to the role of empathy in giving. We conduct an experiment in a large superstore in which we solicit donations to charity and randomly allow shoppers the opportunity to avoid solicitation by using the other door. We find the rate of avoidance by store entrants to be 4.5 percent. However, we also find that the avoidance effect disappears in very cold weather, suggesting that avoidance behavior is sensitive to its cost.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: D03; D64; H41
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Presence of solicitors at one entrance (L85) | Likelihood of customers entering through the other door (C69) |
| Cold weather (Q54) | Effect on avoidance behavior (C92) |
| Presence of solicitors (L85) | Avoidance behavior (D91) |
| Temperature effects (C33) | Choice of entrance (Y20) |