The Role Of Charitable Form And Self-construal In Charitable Giving

Charitable giving is an important means to promote social equity and has significant implications for enhancing people’s sense of well-being.It plays a positive role in improving overall social welfare and security systems,maintaining social order,and facilitating poverty alleviation among the underprivileged.It is one of the primary methods of redistributing resources and a key avenue towards achieving shared prosperity.The forms of charity represent individuals’ choices regarding charitable approaches.The manner in which charitable activities are conducted,whether anonymously or publicly,can influence personal engagement in charitable giving.However,existing research has not reached a definitive consensus on this influence.Furthermore,during the process of charitable giving,the personality traits of donors may also affect their charitable contributions.Self-construal refers to how individuals perceive and organize their behavior in relation to their social roles and personality characteristics.It can be classified into independent self-construal and interdependent self-construal.This study investigates the charitable participation potential of individuals with different self-construals,as well as the promotional methods and persuasive techniques that can facilitate charitable giving.Drawing upon self-construal theory,the study adopts both trait and situational self-construal perspectives in conjunction with charitable forms to explore how to maximize individuals’ level of charitable giving.The research consists of two parts.Study 1 employs trait self-construal to examine the influence of self-construal style and charitable forms on charitable giving.The results indicate that:(1)the trait of independent self-construal significantly predicts positive engagement in charitable giving,and(2)the relative independent group exhibits higher levels of charitable giving in anonymous forms,while the relative interdependent group shows higher levels of charitable giving in public forms.Study 2 shifts to situational self-construal and reveals the following findings:(1)under anonymous forms,individuals with an independent self-construal exhibit higher levels of charitable giving,and(2)under public forms,individuals with an interdependent self-construal demonstrate higher levels of charitable giving.Charitable forms and self-construal are crucial factors influencing charitable giving,and their interplay is pivotal.To foster proactive engagement in philanthropy and enhance the development of charitable endeavors,it is imperative to employ tailored persuasive approaches for diverse population segments.Emphasizing individuals’ independent and virtuous moral qualities necessitates the utilization of anonymized charitable forms;Conversely,when accentuating individuals’ obligation to address the plight of vulnerable populations,heightened exposure and reputational rewards for contributors should be considered.The research findings provide valuable insights and recommendations for augmenting individual participation in philanthropic initiatives and advancing the charitable landscape in our nation.