Fair weather avoidance: unpacking the costs and benefits of “Avoiding the Ask”

Hannah Trachtman, Andrew Steinkruger, Mackenzie Wood, Adam Wooster, James Andreoni (), James Murphy and Justin M. Rao
Additional contact information
Hannah Trachtman: Yale University
Andrew Steinkruger: University of Alaska Anchorage
Mackenzie Wood: University of Alaska Anchorage
Adam Wooster: University of Alaska Anchorage
James Andreoni: University of California San Diego
Justin M. Rao: Microsoft Research

Journal of the Economic Science Association, 2015, vol. 1, issue 1, No 2, 8-14

Abstract: Abstract If being asked to give to charity stimulates an emotional response, like empathy, that makes giving difficult to resist, a natural self-control mechanism might be to avoid being asked in the first place. We replicate a result from a field experiment that points to the role of empathy in giving. We conduct an experiment in a large superstore in which we solicit donations to charity and randomly allow shoppers the opportunity to avoid solicitation by using the other door. We find the rate of avoidance by store entrants to be 8.9 %. However, we also find that the avoidance effect disappears in very cold weather, suggesting that avoidance behavior is sensitive to its cost.

Keywords: Altruism; Charity; Empathy; Giving; Social pressure; Avoiding the Ask; Field experiment; Experimental economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D03 D64 H41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Working Paper: Fair Weather Avoidance: Unpacking the Costs and Benefits of “Avoiding the Ask" (2014)
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DOI: 10.1007/s40881-015-0006-2

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