Charity, Conviction, and Social Norms: Personal Worldview Conviction as a Predictor of Charitable Giving

Abstract

This study offers a novel contribution to the charitable giving literature by empirically linking specific personal worldview convictions, particularly self-transcendent versus physical-self orientations, to both the likelihood and magnitude of charitable giving. While existing research has extensively explored demographic, religious, and psychological drivers of giving, few have systematically examined the foundational role of worldview in shaping financial generosity. Grounded in the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study uses original survey data from 471 participants to test how distinct worldview convictions serve as normative beliefs that inform charitable behavior. The results reveal that, although personal worldview convictions had limited influence on the decision to give, they strongly predicted how much individuals gave. Specifically, conviction in self-transcendent worldviews (e.g., monotheistic and polytheistic) was significantly associated with higher charitable contributions, while physical-self convictions (e.g., humanistic and post-modern) were negatively associated. By introducing personal worldview conviction as a meaningful social norm variable within the TPB framework, this paper expands the theoretical understanding of prosocial financial behavior and offers actionable insights for researchers, policymakers, and nonprofit practitioners.