Educational attainment is associated with unconditional helping behaviour

Abstract

Altruism is a universal human trait, but little is known about its within-population variation. Socio-economic status (SES) has been found to positively impact altruism, but the specific socio-economic variables behind this relationship have remained elusive. This study aimed to determine which facets of SES predict altruism using a lost letter paradigm and a novel lost letter method. Six hundred letters (half dropped on the pavement, half sent to residential addresses) were distributed in 20 suburbs of Perth (Australia) differing in socio-economic variables. Letters distributed in high-SES neighbourhoods were more likely to be returned than letters distributed in low-SES neighbourhoods. Educational attainment and occupation status were the specific socio-economic variables underlying this association, while economic resources and crime rate were not associated with the likelihood of a letter being returned. These results suggest that altruism blossoms in neighbourhoods that are populated with highly educated individuals working in high-status jobs. The relationship between education and prosocial inclinations may be mediated by cognitive ability, self-control and high levels of socialization. Having experienced sustained exposure to norm-abiding models, more educated people may also be better at internalizing cultural norms of helping behaviour, thus creating a more altruistic environment where they reside.

Keywords: Altruism; education; lost letter experiment; prosocial behaviour; socio-economic status.

Graphical abstract

Figure 1.

Association of socioeconomic advantage with altruism. The percentage of returned letters for the pavement and letterbox methods by the decile mid-point of the IRSAD (Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage) score of the SA1 area in which they were distributed. Note: the average raw score (in parentheses) represents the mid-point of the decile; it was calculated by averaging all raw scores that fell within each decile.

Figure 2.

Association of education/occupation with altruism. The percentage of returned letters for the pavement and letterbox methods by the decile mid-point of the IEO (Index of Education and Occupation) score of the SA1 area in which they were distributed. Note: the average raw score in parentheses represents the mid-point of the decile; it was calculated by averaging all raw scores that fell within each decile.

Figure 3.

Association of economic resources with altruism. The percentage of returned letters for the pavement and letterbox methods by the decile mid-point of the IER (Index of Economic Resources) score of the SA1 area in which they were distributed. Note: the average raw score in parentheses represents the mid-point of the decile; it was calculated by averaging all raw scores that fell within each decile.