Older adults across the globe exhibit increased prosocial behavior but also greater in-group preferences.
Nat Aging
; 1(10): 880-888, 2021 Oct.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2293776
ABSTRACT
Population aging is a global phenomenon with substantial implications across society1,2. Prosocial behaviors-actions that benefit others-promote mental and physical health across the lifespan3,4 and can save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined whether age predicts prosociality in a preregistered global study (46,576 people aged 18-99 across 67 countries) using two acutely relevant measures:
distancing during COVID-19 and willingness to donate to hypothetical charities. Age positively predicted prosociality on both measures, with increased distancing and donations among older adults. However, older adults were more in-group focused than younger adults in choosing who to help, making larger donations to national over international charities and reporting increased in-group preferences. In-group preferences helped explain greater national over international donations. Results were robust to several control analyses and internal replication. Our findings have vital implications for predicting the social and economic impacts of aging populations, increasing compliance with public health measures and encouraging charitable donations.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal:
Nat Aging
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S43587-021-00118-3
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