Publication type: Working paper – expertise – study
Title: Asking to give : moral licensing and pro-social behavior in the aggregate
Authors: Grieder, Manuel
Schmitz, Jan
Schubert, Renate
et. al: No
DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3920355
Extent: 45
Issue Date: 2021
Publisher / Ed. Institution: SSRN
ISSN: 1556-5068
Language: English
Subjects: Ask effect; Experiment; Giving; Moral licensing
Subject (DDC): 361: Social work and welfare
Abstract: We study the effect of repeated opportunities for pro-social behavior on aggregate pro-social behavior through two laboratory experiments and field data on charitable giving. Our first experiment shows that two consecutive pro-social decisions (donations to a charity) lead to moral licensing, where the presence of a first donation lowers the second donation. However, we also find that offering multiple opportunities to donate increases aggregate contributions compared to control conditions holding the total donation possibility constant. The second experiment studies the potential drivers of this result and finds that people respond positively to each additional ask, regardless of whether the asks are presented simultaneously or sequentially. We observe similar patterns in field data from 73 charity campaigns sent by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to 455,102 individuals between 2013-2020. Our findings indicate that moral licensing does not negatively impact aggregate pro-social behavior. This is good news for managers of charitable organizations who are concerned about the effects of repeated fundraising activities.
URI: https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/27848
License (according to publishing contract): Licence according to publishing contract
Departement: School of Management and Law
Organisational Unit: Center for Energy and Environment (CEE)
Appears in collections:Publikationen School of Management and Law

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Grieder, M., Schmitz, J., & Schubert, R. (2021). Asking to give : moral licensing and pro-social behavior in the aggregate. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3920355
Grieder, M., Schmitz, J. and Schubert, R. (2021) Asking to give : moral licensing and pro-social behavior in the aggregate. SSRN. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3920355.
M. Grieder, J. Schmitz, and R. Schubert, “Asking to give : moral licensing and pro-social behavior in the aggregate,” SSRN, 2021. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3920355.
GRIEDER, Manuel, Jan SCHMITZ und Renate SCHUBERT, 2021. Asking to give : moral licensing and pro-social behavior in the aggregate. SSRN
Grieder, Manuel, Jan Schmitz, and Renate Schubert. 2021. “Asking to Give : Moral Licensing and Pro-Social Behavior in the Aggregate.” SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3920355.
Grieder, Manuel, et al. Asking to Give : Moral Licensing and Pro-Social Behavior in the Aggregate. SSRN, 2021, https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3920355.


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