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Active decisions and pro-social behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Lorenz Goette
  • Alois Stutzer
  • Michael Zehnder

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a decision framework where people are individually asked to either actively consent to or dissent from some pro-social behavior. We hypothesize that confronting individuals with the choice of whether to engage in a specific pro-social behavior contributes to the formation of issue-specific altruistic preferences, while simultaneously involving a commitment. The hypothesis is tested in a large-scale field experiment on blood donations. We find that this ?active-decision? intervention substantially increases the actual donation behavior of people who had not fully formed preferences beforehand.

Suggested Citation

  • Lorenz Goette & Alois Stutzer & Michael Zehnder, 2007. "Active decisions and pro-social behavior," Working Papers 07-13, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedbwp:07-13
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Morwitz, Vicki G & Johnson, Eric J & Schmittlein, David C, 1993. "Does Measuring Intent Change Behavior?," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 20(1), pages 46-61, June.
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    Keywords

    Human behavior; Altruism;

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