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The impact of a sense of belonging on truth-telling and the role of gender

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  • Barokas, Guy
  • Ravid, Oded

Abstract

This study uses an online experiment to explore the effect of belongingness in promoting honesty and how this is affected by gender. Each participant in the treatment group was assigned to the subgroup with which they most closely identified, while participants in the control group were randomly assigned to the non-identified subgroups. Participants reported the outcomes of unmonitored die rolls, with honesty incentivized by collective bonuses. The results show that the treatment group experienced a stronger sense of belonging and reported more honestly than the control group, confirming the overall effect of belongingness on truthfulness. We also identified a correlation between the degree of belongingness and honesty across subgroups. A post hoc analysis of gender variations revealed that women demonstrated a stronger sense of belonging and a higher level of honesty. Notably, while the effect of belongingness on honesty was significant among women, it was not statistically significant for men. These findings highlight belongingness as a key factor in ethical behavior, particularly for women, with implications for policy design in many contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Barokas, Guy & Ravid, Oded, 2025. "The impact of a sense of belonging on truth-telling and the role of gender," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:118:y:2025:i:c:s2214804325000941
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2025.102430
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments

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