Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Is More Information Always Better? An Experimental Study Of Charitable Giving And Hurricane Katrina, Catherine Eckel, Philip J. Grossman, Angela C. M. De Oliveira

Angela C. M. de Oliveira

We report results of an experiment designed to assess the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the pattern and level of charitable contributions of donors. The study includes an experimental measure of charitable giving and targets three charities: the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and Oxfam International. In the experiment subjects make allocation decisions from three endowments ($10, $20, and $50) and with four different matching subsidies (0%, 25%, 50%, and 100%), with the matching amount provided by the experimenter. Two locations (Texas and Minnesota) and two information conditions are used. Survey measures of sympathy, risk perceptions, and perceptions of …