Can simple prompts increase bequest giving? Field evidence from a legal call centre

Michael Sanders and Sarah Smith

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2016, vol. 125, issue C, 179-191

Abstract: We report the findings of a field study demonstrating the importance of non-pecuniary mechanisms for bequest giving. We show that a prompt to leave money to charity that includes social/emotional factors made during the will-making process increases by 50 per cent the proportion of wills that include a charitable bequest. In terms of magnitude, we show that this is one-third of the effect of a 40% estates tax at the threshold. We find little response to either prompts or tax-price changes among people with children indicating that, for many, leaving money to their children appears to preclude leaving money to charity.

Keywords: Charitable giving; Charitable bequests; Prompts; Social norms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D64 H24 H41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:125:y:2016:i:c:p:179-191

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2016.01.002

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