Empathy or perceived credibility? An empirical study on individual donation behavior in charitable crowdfunding
基于刺激-机体-反应框架，研究网站质量、交易便利性和项目内容质量如何通过共情和感知可信度影响个人在慈善众筹中的捐赠意愿，发现发起人声誉提升可信度，项目热度增强共情。
Purpose Researchers have called for the synthesis of divergent perspectives and the development of a theoretical model that examines individuals’ donation behavior in charitable crowdfunding. To fill this research gap, the purpose of this paper is to synthesize the literature pertaining to the determinants of donation behavior in charitable crowdfunding. Then, drawing on the stimulus-organism-response framework, the authors develop and test a model that explains individuals’ intention to donate to charitable crowdfunding. Design/methodology/approach This paper follows a quantitative research approach. An online survey was distributed to collect data from individuals who had experienced charitable crowdfunding. In total, 205 valid responses were received and analyzed. Findings First, this study finds that individuals’ empathy and the perceived credibility of a charitable crowdfunding project are key determinants for their intention to donate in charitable crowdfunding. Second, the study finds that website quality, transaction convenience, and project content quality influence both empathy and perceived credibility in different ways. Third, it is noteworthy that initiator reputation is positively related to perceived credibility, while project popularity is positively associated with empathy. Originality/value This research advances the knowledge of individual donation behavior in charitable crowdfunding. The model can help researchers understand individuals’ philanthropic behavior by providing empirical explanations of the interplay between technological and project characteristics, emotional and cognitive states, and individuals’ donation behavior. For practitioners, the research suggests appropriate design, launch, and operation strategies to facilitate individuals’ donation behavior in charitable crowdfunding.