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Encouraging Consumer Charitable Behavior: The Impact of Charitable Motivations, Gratitude, and Materialism

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Abstract

The United States is one of the most charitable nations, yet comprises some of the most materialistic citizens in the world. Interestingly, little is known about how the consumer trait of materialism, as well as the opposing moral trait of gratitude, influences charitable giving. We address this gap in the literature by theorizing and empirically testing that the effects of these consumer traits on charitable behavior can be explained by diverse motivations. We discuss the theoretical implications, along with implications for charitable organizations, and offer suggestions for future research.

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Notes

  1. Rather than measuring donation magnitude, we adhered to the stream of academic research examining intentions, which has been extended specifically to charitable giving (Ein-Gar and Levontin, 2013; White and Peloza, 2009; Xie and Bagozzi, 2014). Extant research also indicates that participants may be unable to remember exact donation amounts and that such measures lend themselves to increased social desirability bias (Mathur, 1996).

  2. Path analysis revealed similar path estimates.

  3. We thank an anonymous reviewer for this suggestion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing, Raymond J. Harbert College of Business, Auburn University, 405 W. Magnolia Avenue, Lowder 248, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA

    Dora E. Bock

  2. Department of Marketing, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, 30460-8154, USA

    Jacqueline K. Eastman

  3. Department of Finance and Economics, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, 30460-8152, USA

    Kevin L. Eastman

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  1. Dora E. Bock
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Bock, D.E., Eastman, J.K. & Eastman, K.L. Encouraging Consumer Charitable Behavior: The Impact of Charitable Motivations, Gratitude, and Materialism. J Bus Ethics 150, 1213–1228 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3203-x

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