受害者人數對捐款行為的影響——以調節定向為調節變數

Abstract

在捐款行為研究中，對於單一可辨識受害者效應已經有相當多的研究。研究發現，慈善單位募款時，單一受害者總會比多個受害者募得較多款項，因為單一受害者比較容易使人產生同情心、罪惡感，且對於捐款者來說，一人相較於多人更能快速有效的救助，當受害者的數量增加時，人們會變得比較不敏感，罪惡感也會下降，捐款意願也會跟著下降。 而慈善團體在募款時均會利用情緒性的文宣試圖試圖引起大眾的捐款意願，去幫助需要幫助的弱勢或是正在受難的受害者，而這些廣告文宣通常都會含有具負面情緒性的內容，以利引發民眾的同情心進而捐款。但也有另一派的研究發現，若將正面情緒納入文宣廣告中，同樣也能有效提升個體捐款意願。但究竟哪種情緒才是最終的有效引起人們幫助意願的方法到目前為止，並沒有一個定論。 自我調節定向理論在組織行為研究中有非常多的研究，自我調節定向理論將人的行為模式劃分成偏好正面結果的促進定向以及避免負面結果的預防定向。但在捐款行為研究中，調節定向的應用卻未常被提起。 本研究為一2x2的實驗設計，以受害者人數為一人或是多人兩種不同的文宣設計，以及利用主導情緒(憐憫情緒以及激勵情緒)，使受試者進入不同調節定向中，藉由閱讀憐憫主導情緒版本文宣，受試者將進入擔心、想避免受害者受傷的負向結果的思考模式；而閱讀激勵主導情緒版本文宣，受試者將進入期望受害者復原、受到幫助的正向結果的思考模式來調節捐款行為。 實驗結果發現，若以激勵的正面情緒啟動促進定向的思考模式後，能夠提升對於多人受害者的捐款意願，打破單一可辨識受害者效應的魔咒。本研究結果將會對於為來慈善團體募款對象人數不同時，能夠給予募款文宣設計更多的幫助。

In the research field of prosocial behavior, there are many findings about ‘single identified victim effect’, which indicates that single victim will generate more donations or willingness than group victims. This phenomenon may be explained by the feelings of sympathy and guilt evoke by a single identified victim is more intense than that by group victims. Furthermore, the solvability, which means the effectiveness of helping the victim, of a single victim is far more effective than group victims. When the number of victims gradually increased, people will become insensitive about the feelings, then in the end, the willingness to donate and the amount of donations will drop. Charitable organizations often proffer stories about the victims to evoke feelings and personal connections, including guilt, empathy, sympathy and other negative emotions. And also, the feelings of positive emotions, including inspiring, pride, strength. However, to date, it is still not clear which is more effective to stimulate people to make donation. Self-regulatory focus theory, which divide people’s motivation of action into two dimensions, including ‘promotion focus’ and ‘prevention focus’. While ‘promotion focus’ focus on gaining positive outcome, ‘prevention focus’ focus on avoiding negative outcome. Self-regulatory focus theory is a famous and well-established theory in the research field of organizational behavior, but in prosocial behavior research’s genre, this theory seldom be seen in the previous literature. The current study investigates the relationship of number of victims and donation behavior with the moderating effect of self-regulatory focus in emotional donation appeals. This study designed a 2x2 experiment, using two different number of victims (one versus many) in appeal to see the how it affected real donation behavior or willingness to donate across two different self-regulatory focus’ emotional appeals (using emotions including sympathy and inspiring to activate self-regulatory focus). Result shows that using donation appeal of inspiring emotion to activate promotion focus can increase real donation amount and willingness to donate for group victims, breaking the spell of ‘single identified victim effect’. This research will give more advise for charitable organizations when they design persuasive appeals for different target or number of victims.