The impact of intergroup similarity on prosocial behaviour

Abstract

Individuals are frequently asked to provide aid to those in need and social networking sites have become a popular vehicle for requesting such aid. The question of who is likely to receive help has applied implications, and research addressing this in an online context is timely. This study therefore evaluated the impact of intergroup similarity on online prosocial behaviour. Intergroup similarity was manipulated by altering the national identity of a recipient of aid ingroup (Canada), similar outgroup (United States), and dissimilar outgroup (South Africa). Prosocial behaviour was assessed on three measures: Facebook support (clicking ‘like’ or ‘share’ on Facebook), prosocial intentions (willingness to engage in prosocial behaviours with real world consequences: signing a petition, volunteering, donating, or fundraising), and prosocial action (behaviours with real world consequences: signing a petition, volunteering, donating or fundraising). Moderated multiple regression analyses assessed whether prosocial personality, civic engagement, and conservatism moderated the relationship between intergroup similarity and the three measures of prosociality. Main effects and moderation effects were generally consistent with the common ingroup identity model. Implications are discussed in relation to increasing the effectiveness of charitable campaigns and educational programs aimed at promoting prosocial behaviour.