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The influence of religiosity on charitable behavior: A COPPS investigation

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  • Helms, Sara E.
  • Thornton, Jeremy P.

Abstract

We examine the role of religion in charitable giving and find that the religious preference of both the donor and the recipient organization influence giving behavior. By exploiting a panel survey of charitable giving, we demonstrate that traditional empirical analysis on charitable giving masks important differences among donor groups. Religious giving by religious individuals is least responsive to changes in price and income, while secular giving by secular individuals has the greatest sensitivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Helms, Sara E. & Thornton, Jeremy P., 2012. "The influence of religiosity on charitable behavior: A COPPS investigation," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 373-383.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:41:y:2012:i:4:p:373-383
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2012.04.003
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    Cited by:

    1. Ernest M. Zampelli & Steven T. Yen, 2017. "The Impact Of Tax Price Changes On Charitable Contributions To The Needy," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 35(1), pages 113-124, January.
    2. Jackson, Jeremy & Beaulier, Scott, 2023. "Economic freedom and philanthropy," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 148-183.
    3. Jonathan Oxley, 2020. "Examining Donor Preference for Charity Religious Affiliation," Working Papers wp2020_01_01, Department of Economics, Florida State University.
    4. Mahfuzur Rahman & Mohamed Albaity & Billah Maruf, 2017. "The Role of Religiosity on the Relationship Between Materialism and Fashion Clothing Consumption Among Malaysian Generation Y Consumers," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 757-783, June.
    5. Rama, Ali & Jiang, Chunxia & Johan, Sofia & Liu, Hong & Mai, Yong, 2022. "Religious and social narratives and crowdfunding success," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    6. Insler, Michael A. & McMurrey, Bryce & McQuoid, Alexander F., 2019. "From broken windows to broken bonds: Militarized police and social fragmentation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 43-62.
    7. Marko Kovic & Nina Hänsli, 2017. "The Impact of Political Cleavages, Religiosity, and Values on Attitudes towards Nonprofit Organizations," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-18, December.
    8. Richard P.C. Brown & Gareth Leeves & Nichola Kitson & Prabha Prayaga, 2015. "Give and Take or Give and Give: Charitable Giving in Migrant Households," Discussion Papers Series 547, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    9. Baudier, Patricia & Kondrateva, Galina & Ammi, Chantal, 2023. "Can blockchain enhance motivation to donate: The moderating impact of religion on donors' behavior in the USA's charity organizations," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Charitable giving; Elasticity; Religion;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion
    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household

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