Do people avoid opportunities to donate?

Mikael Knutsson, Peter Martinsson and Conny Wollbrant

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2013, vol. 93, issue C, 71-77

Abstract: We use a natural field experiment to investigate the hypothesis that generosity is partly involuntary, by examining whether individuals tend to avoid opportunities to act generously. In Sweden, new recycling machines for bottles and cans with an option of donating the returned deposit to charity were gradually introduced in one of the largest store chains. We find a substantial decline in recycling the month these new machines were introduced and a further decline in the following months. These results indicate that individuals avoid opportunities to act generously and corroborate findings from both lab and field studies supporting the claim that generous behavior is partly involuntary.

Keywords: Generosity; Donations; Natural field experiment; Avoidance behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D01 D03 D64 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (31)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:93:y:2013:i:c:p:71-77

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2013.07.015

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