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Are Millennials Really So Selfish? Preliminary Evidence from the Philanthropy Panel Study

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  • Peter Koczanski
  • Harvey S. Rosen

Abstract

We use panel data on charitable donations to analyze how the philanthropic behavior of the Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) compares to that of earlier generations. On the basis of a multivariate analysis with a rich set of economic and demographic variables, we find that conditional on making a gift, one cannot reject the hypothesis that the Millennials donate more than members of earlier generations. However, Millennials are somewhat less likely to make any donations at all than their generational predecessors. Our findings suggest a more nuanced view of the Millennials’ prosocial behavior than is suggested in popular accounts.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Koczanski & Harvey S. Rosen, 2019. "Are Millennials Really So Selfish? Preliminary Evidence from the Philanthropy Panel Study," NBER Working Papers 25813, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:25813
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jonathan Meer & David Miller & Elisa Wulfsberg, 2017. "The Great Recession and charitable giving," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(21), pages 1542-1549, December.
    2. repec:pri:cepsud:236rosen is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Jonathan Meer, 2013. "The Habit Of Giving," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(4), pages 2002-2017, October.
    4. Christopher R. Knittel & Elizabeth Murphy, 2019. "Generational Trends in Vehicle Ownership and Use: Are Millennials Any Different?," NBER Working Papers 25674, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Meer, Jonathan & Rosen, Harvey S., 2013. "Donative behavior at the end of life," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 192-201.
    6. Joshua D. Angrist & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2009. "Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 8769.
    7. Putnam, Robert David, 2012. "What's So Darned Special about Church Friends?," Scholarly Articles 11105535, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    8. Andreoni, James & Scholz, John Karl, 1998. "An Econometric Analysis of Charitable Giving with Interdependent Preferences," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 36(3), pages 410-428, July.
    9. Apinunmahakul, Amornrat & Devlin, Rose Anne, 2004. "Charitable Giving and Charitable Gambling: An Empirical Investigation," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 57(1), pages 67-88, March.
    10. Gerald E. Auten & Holger Sieg & Charles T. Clotfelter, 2002. "Charitable Giving, Income, and Taxes: An Analysis of Panel Data," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(1), pages 371-382, March.
    11. Jonathan Meer & Harvey S. Rosen, 2013. "Donative Behavior at the End of Life," Working Papers 1466, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
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    Cited by:

    1. Jarvis, Stephen, 2022. "How generational are generational trends in in vehicle ownership and use?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 113646, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers

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