The Volunteers Dilemma: The influence of changing costs and social value orientation

The volunteers dilemma is an often occurring social situation in which an individual has to choose whether to sacrifice some self-interest to benefit the group. In this study we investigate changing costs and social value orientation (SVO). Rising volunteering costs and decreasing group benefits are conditions in which the subjective value decreases fast over time in comparison to the starting position. The comparison between the starting point and the deteriorated position could be a reason to volunteer while it stops the position from worsening or even prevent it from happening. In an incentivized online experiment it was tested whether increasing volunteering costs and decreasing group benefits leads to more and faster volunteering. Furthermore the role of SVO with regard to volunteering frequency was investigated. Results indicated a faster but less frequent volunteering pattern as a result of the changing costs and furthermore showed a positive relation between SVO score and...Show moreThe volunteers dilemma is an often occurring social situation in which an individual has to choose whether to sacrifice some self-interest to benefit the group. In this study we investigate changing costs and social value orientation (SVO). Rising volunteering costs and decreasing group benefits are conditions in which the subjective value decreases fast over time in comparison to the starting position. The comparison between the starting point and the deteriorated position could be a reason to volunteer while it stops the position from worsening or even prevent it from happening. In an incentivized online experiment it was tested whether increasing volunteering costs and decreasing group benefits leads to more and faster volunteering. Furthermore the role of SVO with regard to volunteering frequency was investigated. Results indicated a faster but less frequent volunteering pattern as a result of the changing costs and furthermore showed a positive relation between SVO score and volunteering frequency. The possible explanations are discussed as well as future research and limitations.Show less

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The Volunteers Dilemma: The influence of changing costs and social value orientation