The elusive power of the individual victim: Failure to find a difference in the effectiveness of charitable appeals focused on one compared to many victims.

ABSTRACT: Previous research has offered conflicting findings regarding the influence of help appeals that feature an individual victim compared to a group of victims. Studies examining emotional responses and donation behavior have generally found that help appeals focusing on a single victim elicit more prosocial responses, while studies examining policy support have found the opposite. The present studies investigate these effects while addressing potential confounds that may have arisen in previous research. Study 1 (N = 924) compares the effects of help appeals that focus on either a) an identified individual, b) an identified group, c) statistics describing many individuals, or d) statistics paired with an individual. Study 1 also examines how the location of the individual(s) in need moderates

SUBMITTER: Hart PS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6051573 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature