Are the Rich Really Less Generous Than the Poor? (Update)

A series of academic studies suggest that the wealthy are, to put it bluntly, selfish jerks. It’s an easy narrative to embrace — but is it true? As part of GiveDirectly’s “Pods Fight Poverty” campaign, we revisit a 2017 episode.   SOURCES: Jim Andreoni , professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego. Nikos Nikiforakis , professor of economics at New York University in Abu Dhabi. Paul Piff , associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine. Jan Stoop , associate professor of applied economics at the Erasmus School of Economics.   RESOURCES: " Are the Rich More Selfish Than the Poor, or do They Just Have More Money? A Natural Field Experiment ," by James Andreoni, Nikos Nikiforakis, and Jan Stoop ( National Bureau of Economic Research, 2017). " Exploring the Psychology of Wealth, 'Pernicious' Effects of Economic Inequality ," ( PBS NewsHour, 2013). " Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function ," by Anandi Mani, Sendhil Mullainathan, Eldar Shafir, and Jiaying Zhao (Science, 2013). " Higher Social Class Predicts Increased Unethical Behavior ," by Paul Piff, Daniel Stancato, Stéphane Côté, Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, and Dacher Keltner (PNAS, 2011). " Relative Earnings and Giving in a Real-Effort Experiment ," by Nisvan Erkal, Lata Gangadharan, and Nikos Nikiforakis (American Economic Review, 2011). " Experimenter Demand Effects in Economic Experiments ," by Daniel John Zizzo (Experimental Economics, 2009). " Impure Altruism and Donations to Public Goods: A Theory of Warm-Glow Giving ," by James Andreoni (The Economic Journal, 1990). " Privately Provided Public Goods in a Large Economy: The Limits of Altruism ," by James Andreoni (Journal of Public Economics, 1987). " A Positive Model of Private Charity and Public Transfers ," by Russell Roberts (Journal of Political Economy, 1984). Pods Fight Poverty Campaign on Give Directly .   EXTRAS: “ How to Raise Money Without Killing a Kitten ,” by Freakonomics Radio (2013). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.