Does higher socioeconomic class predict increased altruistic behavior? Evidence from a modified dictator game

We study socioeconomic status (SES) differences in altruism by examining a modified dictator game. Although both the upper and the lower SES individuals display a high amount of giving behavior, we find that the upper-SES subjects are always more charitable than their lower SES counterparts. In all treatments, the mean donations of the upper-SES individuals are higher than that of the lower-SES individuals, and the difference is significant at a 5% significance level when we pool all data. The giving behaviors of the upper-SES subjects do not differ significantly between the fixed paid treatment and the performance paid treatment. Furthermore, we also find that family income and age play a role in the altruistic behavior.