Charitable donation behavior: The effect of a child’s facial expression on donations
Type of Presentation
Paper
Location
D34000
Start Date
4-12-2019 2:40 PM
End Date
4-12-2019 3:10 PM
Abstract
This research finds that more people choose sad-faced versus happy-faced children to benefit in the one-time donation context, consistent with past research. However, in child sponsorships, a favored children's charity fundraising format in which donors make monthly donations for a child and periodically receive photographs and letters from the child, people choose sad-faced as often as happy-faced children. This is because in different situations personal distress evoked from viewing needy children activates different motivations.
Identify Grant
2018-19 University Research Grant
Charitable donation behavior: The effect of a child’s facial expression on donations
D34000
This research finds that more people choose sad-faced versus happy-faced children to benefit in the one-time donation context, consistent with past research. However, in child sponsorships, a favored children's charity fundraising format in which donors make monthly donations for a child and periodically receive photographs and letters from the child, people choose sad-faced as often as happy-faced children. This is because in different situations personal distress evoked from viewing needy children activates different motivations.