UNDERSTANDING ALTRUISM IN THE PERIOD OF COVID-19: A SURVEY STUDY WITH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

2022-3
Şimşek, Şeyma
Many theories of human behavior, including those in economics and related fields, imply that human population is systematically more generous and altruist than homo economicus. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how fear of covid-19, risktaking attitudes, personality traits and gender have an impact on altruism. An anonymous web survey was conducted on a corporate platform with METU (Middle East Technical University) students. Hypothetical dictator game and a survey consisting of 20 altruistic/egoistic moral dilemmas were used to measure altruism. A multiple linear regression was employed to assess the combined relationships between the dependent variables and the independent variables. Agreeableness among the big five personality traits and gender explained the allocations on dictator game; whereas agreeableness, conscientiousness, and risk-taking attitude explained the altruistic tendency on altruistic/egoistic moral dilemmas. Females and more agreeable people allocate more on dictator game.Moreover, more conscientious people, more agreeable people, and risk-seeker people tend to give more altruistic responses in the altruistic/egoistic moral dilemmas. The thesis contributes to the literature along two dimensions. First, it employs two different, yet conceptually intersecting measures for quantifying altruistic tendency. Second, it unfolds the relationship among that tendency and a set of personality traits, risk attitude, gender, and above all the fear of Covid-19.

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Citation Formats
Ş. Şimşek, “UNDERSTANDING ALTRUISM IN THE PERIOD OF COVID-19: A SURVEY STUDY WITH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS,” M.B.A. - Master of Business Administration, Middle East Technical University, 2022.