Are the Rich Really Less Generous Than the Poor? (Update)

A series of academic studies suggest that the wealthy are, to put it bluntly, selfish jerks. It’s an easy narrative to embrace — but is it true? As part of GiveDirectly’s “Pods Fight Poverty” campaign, we revisit a 2017 episode. SOURCES: Jim Andreoni , professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego. Nikos Nikiforakis , professor of economics at New York University in Abu Dhabi. Paul Piff , associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine. Jan Stoop , associate professor of applied economics at the Erasmus School of Economics. RESOURCES: " Are the Rich More Selfish Than the Poor, or do They Just Have More Money? A Natural Field Experiment ," by James Andreoni, Nikos Nikiforakis, and Jan Stoop ( National Bureau of Economic Research, 2017). " Exploring the Psychology of Wealth, 'Pernicious' Effects of Economic Inequality ," ( PBS NewsHour, 2013). " Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function ," by Anandi Mani, Sendhil Mullainathan, Eldar Shafir, and Jiaying Zhao (Science, 2013). " Higher Social Class Predicts Increased Unethical Behavior ," by Paul Piff, Daniel Stancato, Stéphane Côté, Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, and Dacher Keltner (PNAS, 2011). " Relati…