The Neglected Victim Effect

People are kind by nature, and it is most often the case that they help when others are in need. In this paper, we show that sometimes people find it difficult to help others--not because help is beyond their reach, but rather because providing help conflicts with the wish to do so in a fair manner....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Levontin, Liat, Ein-Gar, Danit, Kogut, Tehila
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Decision making
Donations
Social support
Victims of crime
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Summary:People are kind by nature, and it is most often the case that they help when others are in need. In this paper, we show that sometimes people find it difficult to help others--not because help is beyond their reach, but rather because providing help conflicts with the wish to do so in a fair manner. Consider the case where you have a single bill of money and need to decide which of two beggars should receive it. On the one hand, any help is better than no help--so you tend to be kind and helpful, and choose to give the bill to one of the beggars. On the other hand, helping one beggar and not the other is unjust. The results of these studies support our hypothesis that potential donors are more likely to refrain from donating altogether when they need to choose between two identifiable victims than when merely asked to donate to one victim. The results show that it is the presentation of a choice that prompts higher rates of opt-out. rather than the number of victims presented.
ISSN:0098-9258