The Role of Income, Happiness, and Norms in Fostering Pro-Social Behavior: A PLS-SEM Analysis of Charitable Giving and Its Contribution to Sustainable Development in Uzbekistan

Azimjon Musamuxamedov, Dostonbek Eshpulatov () and Raufhon Salahodjaev
Additional contact information
Azimjon Musamuxamedov: Graduate School, Westminster International University in Tashkent, Tashkent 100047, Uzbekistan
Dostonbek Eshpulatov: Department of Economics, Gulistan State University, Gulistan 120100, Uzbekistan

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-25

Abstract: Charitable giving plays a vital role in advancing sustainable development, yet little is known about its determinants in transitional economies. This study addresses this gap by examining the socioeconomic and psychological drivers of prosocial financial behavior in Uzbekistan, integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Norm Activation Theory (NAT), and Well-Being Theory. Data from a sample of 348 individuals reveal two distinct pathways of giving: one shaped by resources (income, age) and another by subjective well-being (happiness). While income, age, and happiness emerged as significant positive predictors of charitable behavior, traditional TPB factors such as attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were not supported in this context. A surprising finding was the negative association between personal norms and charitable giving, challenging assumptions of Western-centric models and pointing to the importance of cultural and institutional conditions, such as trust in charities and informal giving practices. The study contributes to sustainability research by showing that fostering well-being and targeting specific demographic groups can enhance philanthropy, while also emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive approaches in understanding prosocial behavior within emerging economies.

Keywords: social sustainability; charitable giving; PLS-SEM; socioeconomic determinants; happiness; norm activation theory; Uzbekistan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/21/9440/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/21/9440/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:21:p:9440-:d:1778517

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().