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Connecting perceived economic threat and prosocial tendencies: The explanatory role of empathic concern

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  • María Alonso-Ferres
  • Ginés Navarro-Carrillo
  • Marta Garrido-Macías
  • Eva Moreno-Bella
  • Inmaculada Valor-Segura

Abstract

Recent research suggests that perceived economic threat constitutes a valid predictor of people’s attitudes and behaviors. While accumulated empirical evidence has mostly underlined the deleterious psychological effects (e.g., reduced psychological well-being) of perceived economic threat in times of economic strain, we postulate that individuals experiencing higher economic threat linked to the Spanish economic crisis are more prone to engage in other-beneficial prosocial behavior. Across two independently collected community samples, we tested this theoretical formulation and examined the potential mediating roles of empathic concern (Studies 1 & 2) and identification (Study 2). Study 1 (N = 306) revealed that participants who descended in the social scale due to the negative national economic context were engaged in a larger number of helping behaviors over the last three months compared to participants who did not descend the social ladder—independently of several sociodemographic and ideological factors. Moreover, our data indicated these effects were driven by increased empathic concern. Study 2 (N = 588), in which two hypothetical helping-behavior scenarios were randomly administered (crisis-related vs. control), showed that participants under high perceived financial threat exhibited an undifferentiated pattern of prosociality. However, moderated-mediation analyses indicated that empathic concern explained the perceived financial threat-helping behavior link in the hypothetical crisis-related scenario but not in the hypothetical control scenario. Together, these findings extend prior literature on the psychosocial effects of perceived economic threat and the determinants of other-oriented behavior. Implications of these findings and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • María Alonso-Ferres & Ginés Navarro-Carrillo & Marta Garrido-Macías & Eva Moreno-Bella & Inmaculada Valor-Segura, 2020. "Connecting perceived economic threat and prosocial tendencies: The explanatory role of empathic concern," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(5), pages 1-25, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0232608
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232608
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Helen Y Weng & Andrew S Fox & Heather C Hessenthaler & Diane E Stodola & Richard J Davidson, 2015. "The Role of Compassion in Altruistic Helping and Punishment Behavior," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-20, December.
    2. Fabian T. Pfeffer & Sheldon Danziger & Robert F. Schoeni, 2013. "Wealth Disparities Before and After the Great Recession," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 650(1), pages 98-123, November.
    3. Francisco Carballo-Cruz, 2011. "Causes and Consequences of the Spanish Economic Crisis: Why the Recovery is Taken so Long?," Panoeconomicus, Savez ekonomista Vojvodine, Novi Sad, Serbia, vol. 58(3), pages 309-328, September.
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