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Donations, Risk Attitudes and Time Preferences: A Study on Altruism in Primary School Children

Author

Listed:
  • Angerer, Silvia
  • Glätzle-Rützler, Daniela

    (University of Innsbruck)

  • Lergetporer, Philipp

    (Technical University of Munich)

  • Sutter, Matthias

    (Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods)

Abstract

We study with a sample of 1,070 primary school children, aged seven to eleven years, how altruism in a donation experiment is related to children's risk attitudes and intertemporal choices. Examining such a relationship is motivated by theories of reciprocal altruism that provide a cornerstone to understand human social behavior. We find that higher risk tolerance and patience in intertemporal choice increase, in general, the level of donations, albeit the effects are non-linear. We confirm earlier results that altruism increases with age during childhood and that girls are more altruistic than boys. Having older brothers makes subjects less altruistic.

Suggested Citation

  • Angerer, Silvia & Glätzle-Rützler, Daniela & Lergetporer, Philipp & Sutter, Matthias, 2014. "Donations, Risk Attitudes and Time Preferences: A Study on Altruism in Primary School Children," IZA Discussion Papers 8020, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp8020
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    altruism; donations; risk attitudes; intertemporal choices; experiment; children;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers

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