Status on the Street: A Field Experiment on the Effect of Signaling Socio-Economic Status on Pro-social Behavior

Authors

Madeleine Gleave, Brigham Young University
Matthew Brigham, Brigham Young University
Dr. Daniel Nielson, Brigham Young University

Keywords

socio-economic status, pro-social behavior, empathy, social obligation

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Political Science

Abstract

Helping behavior in a given society provides an interesting measure of social trust and prosociality. Whether individuals will assist strangers in need should indicate baseline levels of empathy, perceived social obligation, and generalized trust. But to date few studies have explored experimental interventions that might affect the rate of helping in a developing-country context. In particular, we sought to explore the effects of social status on pro-sociality in a poor country; i.e., would individuals respond differently to those of higher status? To men or women? To foreigners? We explored these questions through a field experiment where we randomly assigned the status, nationality, and gender of requesters of assistance in urban Kampala, Uganda, when stopping 1,200 Ugandans on the street and asking for assistance.

Recommended Citation

Gleave, Madeleine; Brigham, Matthew; and Nielson, Dr. Daniel (2014) "Status on the Street: A Field Experiment on the Effect of Signaling Socio-Economic Status on Pro-social Behavior," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014: Iss. 1, Article 263.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/263