Impediments to Effective Altruism: The Role of Subjective Preferences in Charitable Giving

Jonathan Z. Berman; Alixandra Barasch; Emma E. Levine; Deborah A. Small

doi:10.1177/0956797617747648

Impediments to Effective Altruism: The Role of Subjective Preferences in Charitable Giving

Jonathan Z. Berman¹; Alixandra Barasch²; Emma E. Levine³; Deborah A. Small⁴

¹ Department of Marketing, London Business School · ² Department of Marketing, New York University · ³ Booth School of Business The University of Chicago · ⁴ Marketing and Psychology, University of Pennsylvania

Psychological Science 2018

Charity could do the most good if every dollar donated went to causes that produced the greatest welfare gains. In line with this proposition, the effective-altruism movement seeks to provide individuals with information regarding the effectiveness of charities in hopes that they will contribute to organizations that maximize the social return of their donation. In this research, we investigated the extent to which presenting effectiveness information leads people to choose more effective charities. We found that even when effectiveness information is made easily comparable across options, it has a limited impact on choice. Specifically, people frequently choose less effective charity options when those options represent more subjectively preferred causes. In contrast to making a personal donation decision, outcome metrics are used to a much greater extent when choosing financial investments and when allocating aid resources as an agent of an organization. Implications for effective altruism are discussed.

DOI: 10.1177/0956797617747648
Volume: 29 (5)
Pages: 834-844
Language: en
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