Effect of perceived economic mobility and income on charitable behavior

Despite the prevalence of declining economic mobility and its behavioral consequences, economic mobility has received surprisingly little attention in the marketing literature. Based on research showing that reducing social vigilance leads to more charitable behavior, we propose that higher (vs. lower) perceived economic mobility promotes more charitable behavior of lower-income (vs. higher-income) consumers by reducing their social vigilance. Four studies with multimethods provide converging evidence for these predictions. Furthermore, we show that reduced social vigilance mediates this effect, and we rule out the potential alternative explanations (i.e., current mood and sense of control). These results enhance our understanding of economic mobility and provide implications for nonprofit organizations to raise donations.