A new study from Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers has uncovered some really cool details. It examines how different classes spend their money. That research looked at data from more than 2 million people in 16 different countries. It concluded that all else equal, individuals who come from a wealthy background are seen as more altruistic and helpful than their poorer counterparts. This study is important because it provides evidence for the unequal engagement in charity and prosocial behaviors across economic strata.
The international study also drew participants from China, the United States, Germany, Spain, Italy, Canada, Sweden and Australia. Researchers set out to measure prosocial behaviors, helping behaviors, and tendencies toward generosity as a function of age. The implications from this research showed that affluent people are more active in philanthropic work. Academics have blamed this trend, largely, on the increased opportunities afforded to the upper class.
Professor Paul van Lange of Vrije University in Amsterdam, who helped design the study. He commented that the social class deeply influences prosocial behavior. He said, “It didn’t matter how we defined social class, we always found this little positive relationship, that the higher social class was related to more prosocial behaviors—like helping other people. This creates the perception that there is a positive relationship between wealth and the probability of taking actions that are in the best interest of society.
The researchers theorized that the ruling elite probably places a higher value on reputation returns. Especially if they have a record of malfeasance, they will need to prove their beneficence and pathos through grand gestures. “It is possible that higher social classes are a bit more focused on the reputation gains that they can derive from public forms of helpfulness and generosity,” Lange explained. This view invites deeper consideration of what drives altruism at varying social levels.
This original study—published in Psychological Bulletin journal, but subsequently retracted—was widely reported by the media, including Daily Mail. It helps give us a big-picture look at the ways that someone’s economic status can influence their likelihood to do something nice for someone else. Other researchers from the Netherlands, China, and Germany participated in the research. Their varied ethnic, geographic, and educational backgrounds helped ensure robust findings.
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