Title Exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic environment and generosity
Authors BRAÑAS GARZA, PABLO ERNESTO, JORRAT, DIEGO ANDRÉS, ALFONSO COSTILLO, ANTONIO, Espin, A. M. , Garcia Munoz, T. , Kovarik, J.
External publication No
Means Royal Society Open Science
Scope Article
Nature Científica
JCR Quartile 2
SJR Quartile 1
JCR Impact 3.5
SJR Impact 0.841
Web https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85125184255&doi=10.1098%2frsos.210919&partnerID=40&md5=01858bd12a346cebc300d545bb8affc9
Publication date 12/01/2022
ISI 000741312400004
Scopus Id 2-s2.0-85125184255
DOI 10.1098/rsos.210919
Abstract We report data from an online experiment which allows us to study how generosity changed over a 6-day period during the initial explosive growth of the COVID-19 pandemic in Andalusia, Spain, while the country was under a strict lockdown. Participants (n = 969) could donate a fraction of a euro100 prize to an unknown charity. Our data are particularly rich in the age distribution and we complement them with daily public information about COVID-19-related deaths, infections and hospital admissions. We find correlational evidence that donations decreased in the period under study, particularly among older individuals. Our analysis of the mechanisms behind the detected decrease in generosity suggests that expectations about others\' behaviour, perceived mortality risk and (alarming) information play a key-but independent-role for behavioural adaptation. These results indicate that social behaviour is quickly adjusted in response to the pandemic environment, possibly reflecting some form of selective prosociality.
Keywords generosity; COVID-19; experiments; social preferences
Universidad Loyola members

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