Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Altruistic Behavior in Chinese Middle School Students: Mediating Role of Empathy

Xiaomin Liu, Yuqing Zhang, Zihao Chen, Guangcan Xiang, Hualing Miao and Cheng Guo ()
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Xiaomin Liu: Research Center of Mental Health Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Yuqing Zhang: School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
Zihao Chen: Research Center of Mental Health Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Guangcan Xiang: Tian Jiabing College of Education, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
Hualing Miao: Research Center of Mental Health Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Cheng Guo: Research Center of Mental Health Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: Previous studies have shown that socioeconomic status is correlated to altruistic behavior. The role of empathy as one of the motivations for altruistic behavior is gradually gaining attention among researchers. This study explores the role of empathy in the mechanisms of socioeconomic status and altruistic behavior in Chinese adolescents. A total of 253 middle school students from Northern China participated in this study, which included the dictator game and Interpersonal Relation Index. Results showed that (1) low-SES students behaved more generously than high-SES students; (2) the students were more generous to the low-SES recipients, as shown when offering them more money in the dictator game; (3) affective rather than cognitive empathy mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status and altruistic behavior. The findings provide evidence for the validation of the empathy–altruism hypothesis in a group of Chinese adolescents. Meanwhile, it reveals the path to improving altruistic behavior through the promotion of empathy, especially for individuals of high socioeconomic status.

Keywords: socioeconomic status; altruistic behavior; empathy; cognitive empathy; affective empathy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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