Guilt appeals: The mediating effect of responsibility

• Published in: Psychology & marketing Vol. 23; no. 12; pp. 1035 - 1054
• Main Authors: Basil, Debra Z., Ridgway, Nancy M., Basil, Michael D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.12.2006; Wiley Periodicals Inc
• Subjects: Advertising campaigns; Charities; Donations; Hypothesis testing; Responsibilities; Studies
• ISSN: 0742-6046; 1520-6793
• DOI: 10.1002/mar.20145

This research was conducted to assess how guilt appeals operate in soliciting charitable donations. It was hypothesized that a sense of responsibility would enhance the effectiveness of charitable guilt appeals, thus leading to larger charitable donations. It was also hypothesized that the presence of others would make salient a prosocial norm, thus increasing a sense of responsibility to help. Two laboratory experiments were conducted to test these hypotheses. The effect of guilt on charitable‐donation intention and actual donations was mediated by a sense of responsibility. Additionally, the presence of others enhanced the sense of responsibility to behave prosocially. These findings have implications for the design of charitable‐donation campaigns. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.