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Empathy or perceived credibility? An empirical study on individual donation behavior in charitable crowdfunding

Lili Liu (Department of Management Science and Engineering, College of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China)
Ayoung Suh (City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong)
Christian Wagner (City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong)

Internet Research

ISSN: 1066-2243

Article publication date: 4 June 2018

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Abstract

Purpose

Researchers have called for the synthesis of divergent perspectives and the development of a theoretical model that examines individuals’ donation behavior in charitable crowdfunding. To fill this research gap, the purpose of this paper is to synthesize the literature pertaining to the determinants of donation behavior in charitable crowdfunding. Then, drawing on the stimulus-organism-response framework, the authors develop and test a model that explains individuals’ intention to donate to charitable crowdfunding.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper follows a quantitative research approach. An online survey was distributed to collect data from individuals who had experienced charitable crowdfunding. In total, 205 valid responses were received and analyzed.

Findings

First, this study finds that individuals’ empathy and the perceived credibility of a charitable crowdfunding project are key determinants for their intention to donate in charitable crowdfunding. Second, the study finds that website quality, transaction convenience, and project content quality influence both empathy and perceived credibility in different ways. Third, it is noteworthy that initiator reputation is positively related to perceived credibility, while project popularity is positively associated with empathy.

Originality/value

This research advances the knowledge of individual donation behavior in charitable crowdfunding. The model can help researchers understand individuals’ philanthropic behavior by providing empirical explanations of the interplay between technological and project characteristics, emotional and cognitive states, and individuals’ donation behavior. For practitioners, the research suggests appropriate design, launch, and operation strategies to facilitate individuals’ donation behavior in charitable crowdfunding.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by Grant No. CityU 11531016 from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong SAR awarded to the second author. This research was supported in part by GRF Grant CityU 11507815 from the Research Grants Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, awarded to the second and third author.

Citation

Liu, L., Suh, A. and Wagner, C. (2018), "Empathy or perceived credibility? An empirical study on individual donation behavior in charitable crowdfunding", Internet Research, Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 623-651. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-06-2017-0240

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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