Social pressure seen as curb on giving

Altruism and social pressure both affect door-to-door charitable giving, with social pressure playing a greater role and reducing giving, a new article says.

Written by economists at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Chicago, the article is based on a study that designed a door-to-door fundraiser among 7,668 households near Chicago.

The fundraising drive was for a well-respected local children's hospital and an out-of-state charity unfamiliar to most people being solicited.