These Personality Factors Drive Donations in Times of Crisis

Source: Doruk Aksel Anıl / Pexels

In the aftermath of catastrophic earthquakes or other natural disasters, there is often a significant need and opportunity for humanitarian support. Monetary donations become important lifelines for those dealing with the terrifying repercussions, offering quick and vital aid amidst chaos and devastation. Reflecting on the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023, the widespread support from all across the globe to those in need highlighted the remarkable power of prosociality following such disasters. But what influences an individual's decision to donate in the face of such crises? Who are the individuals that step forward to help, and what factors influence their decisions? A recent study by Busra Elif Yelbuz and myself sheds light on these very questions.

Previous research has emphasized both contextual factors and individual differences in donation behavior. Contextual factors, such as the perceived efficacy of a charity organization or the perceived need of the victim, can sway a person's decision to donate. Yet, there is also evidence for individual differences (i.e., personality factors) in donations, with some individuals being more predisposed to donate than others. Interestingly, the role of personality traits in this context had been less explored so far.

Addressing this gap, our study integrated relevant personality traits with contextual factors to provide a better understanding of individual differences in donation behavior, particularly in the context of the Turkey-Syria earthquake.

Examining Donations in the Aftermath of the Earthquake

Just three weeks after the earthquake, when many victims were still in need of help, we measured donations to two charitable organizations—one aiding Turkish and one aiding Syrian victims. The study was conducted among individuals from an unaffected country (i.e., Germany) who were given a small amount of money and asked how much of this money they would like to donate, if any, to each of the two organizations involved in the relief efforts.

Source: Katt Yukawa / Unsplash

At the heart of the study was an investigation of which personality traits influence donations. Besides the donation decision, several personality traits were measured, including honesty-humility (i.e., the tendency to be fair and genuine in dealing with others), empathy (i.e., the tendency to understand and share others' experiences emotionally and cognitively), openness (i.e., the tendency to engage in new ideas, experiences, and unconventional beliefs), social dominance orientation (i.e., the tendency to prefer hierarchical social structures and believe that certain groups should dominate others), and right-wing authoritarianism (i.e., the tendency to adhere to conventional social norms, uphold traditional values, and submit to authority figures).

By examining these traits, we aimed to examine whether certain individuals, particularly those higher on trait honesty-humility and empathy, were likely to give more. Recognizing the importance of context, the study also examined various contextual variables likely to influence donations, such as perceptions of the charity organizations, perceived level of need of the victims, and attitudes towards individuals from the affected countries.

Both Personality and Context Influenced Donations

Consistent with predictions, we found that honesty-humility and empathy significantly correlated with the overall amount donated to the two charity organizations. Individuals with higher levels of these traits demonstrated a greater propensity to donate higher amounts. Additionally, traits such as openness, social dominance orientation, and right-wing authoritarianism were linked to the amount donated. That is, individuals with higher levels of openness tended to donate more, whereas individuals with higher levels of social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism tended to donate less. Most importantly, even after accounting for contextual factors, honesty-humility emerged as the strongest predictor of donation amounts, underscoring its significant role in driving prosociality in times of crisis.

Among the examined contextual factors, perceptions of the charity organizations, perceived need, and attitudes towards affected individuals were related to the amount donated, which highlights the importance of organizational credibility and perceived need for donation behavior during crises.

Most Individuals Donated Equally to the Two Victim Groups

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Beyond examining the overall amounts donated, the study also looked at patterns of selectivity in donations. This involved investigating whether some individuals chose to donate more to one victim group over the other, instead of donating equally to both groups, and whether such selectivity could be attributed to individual differences in personality.

We found that only a quarter of participants were selective in their donations, giving more to one group of victims than to the other. Moreover, there was an unexpected difference in how the two victim groups were seen: Syrian victims were perceived to be in greater need compared to Turkish victims. In hindsight, this can arguably be attributed to the fact that Turkish victims had already received more global attention and aid than Syrian victims at the time the study was conducted. In the end, none of the personality traits related to selectivity in donations as initially expected. Instead, it seemed that individuals who gave more to the Syrian charity simply perceived Syrian victims to be more in need than Turkish victims. This aligned with prior research, indicating that individuals donate more to those they see as more vulnerable.

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In essence, this study provides valuable insights into the dynamics of donation behavior in times of crisis, suggesting that certain individuals, particularly those higher in honesty-humility, are more likely to step forward to help, and that contextual factors, such as the perceived need of the victim, also play a significant role for donation decisions. Moving forward, research into the factors related to donation behavior holds immense potential to inform charity organizations and contribute to the broader understanding of human prosociality.