Upward and Downward Prosocial Influence Across Levels of a Social Hierarchy: Field and Experimental Evidence About Authorities of U.S. Counties

Abstract

Although people often engage in prosocial behavior when witnessing prosocial others, little is known about whether and how prosociality spreads across different positions within a social hierarchy. One field study involving 79 U.S. counties found a positive association between the prosociality of community members and their authorities, providing preliminary evidence of similarity in willingness to improve community well-being across levels of a social hierarchy. A follow-up experiment testing the relative magnitude of downward and upward prosocial influence showed that participants playing the role of authorities were more responsive to the prosociality of community members. Findings further showed that the greater response to prosocial influence among authorities was due to their greater optimism. The article ends with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of these findings and directions for future research.