TY - JOUR
T1 - Look to others before you leap
T2 - A systematic literature review of social information effects on donation amounts
AU - van Teunenbroek, Claire
AU - Bekkers, René
AU - Beersma, Bianca
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - People are often influenced by information about other people’s behavior, that is, social information. Social information is frequently used by practitioners hoping to increase charitable giving, while the precise mechanisms through which social information works are unknown. We conducted a systematic literature review of 35 studies reporting on the effects of social information on charitable giving. We show that several studies report no or even negative effects and that a theoretical understanding of social information effects is lacking. We integrate the empirical findings in the wider fields of social psychology and behavioral economics and propose an integrative theoretical model. The model includes four mediators and three moderators that can explain positive and negative effects of social information. This theoretical framework can assist researchers to obtain a deeper understanding of social information and support practitioners in implementing giving tools in donation campaigns.
AB - People are often influenced by information about other people’s behavior, that is, social information. Social information is frequently used by practitioners hoping to increase charitable giving, while the precise mechanisms through which social information works are unknown. We conducted a systematic literature review of 35 studies reporting on the effects of social information on charitable giving. We show that several studies report no or even negative effects and that a theoretical understanding of social information effects is lacking. We integrate the empirical findings in the wider fields of social psychology and behavioral economics and propose an integrative theoretical model. The model includes four mediators and three moderators that can explain positive and negative effects of social information. This theoretical framework can assist researchers to obtain a deeper understanding of social information and support practitioners in implementing giving tools in donation campaigns.
KW - donation amounts
KW - social influence
KW - social information
KW - social norms
KW - systematic literature review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071474054&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85071474054&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0899764019869537
DO - 10.1177/0899764019869537
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85071474054
VL - 49
SP - 53
EP - 73
JO - Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
JF - Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
SN - 0899-7640
IS - 1
ER -