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

Author

Listed:
  • Harvey S. Rosen

    (Princeton University)

  • Peter Koczanski

    (Princeton University)

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

  • Harvey S. Rosen & Peter Koczanski, 2019. "Are Millennials Really So Selfish? Preliminary Evidence from the Philanthropy Panel Study," Working Papers 254, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    • Handle: RePEc:pri:cepsud:254
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Putnam, Robert David, 2012. "What's So Darned Special about Church Friends?," Scholarly Articles 11105535, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. repec:pri:cepsud:236rosen is not listed on IDEAS
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. Jonathan Meer, 2013. "The Habit Of Giving," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(4), pages 2002-2017, October.
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. 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.
    11. Joshua D. Angrist & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2009. "Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 8769.
    12. 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:

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    2. Maria Cotofan & Lea Cassar & Robert Dur & Stephan Meier, 2023. "Macroeconomic Conditions When Young Shape Job Preferences for Life," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 105(2), pages 467-473, March.
    3. 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.
    4. Julia Wojciechowska-Solis & Aleksandra Kowalska & Milena Bieniek & Monika Ratajczyk & Louise Manning, 2022. "Comparison of the Purchasing Behaviour of Polish and United Kingdom Consumers in the Organic Food Market during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-19, January.
    5. Abas Mirzaei & Cynthia M. Webster & Helen Siuki, 2021. "Exploring brand purpose dimensions for non-profit organizations," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(2), pages 186-198, March.
    6. Jonathan Oxley, 2020. "Examining Donor Preference for Charity Religious Affiliation," Working Papers wp2020_01_01, Department of Economics, Florida State University.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    generosity; Millennials; selfishness; charity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

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

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