The effect of the word “love” on compliance to a request for humanitarian aid: An evaluation in a field setting
Résumé
In 14 bakeries we tested the effect of different messages associated with a fundraising solicitation. An opaque moneybox was placed near the cash register with a message explaining on a first line that the solicitation was for a humanitarian project for African children conducted by students. On the second line the words “DONATING = LOVING” (loving condition), “DONATING = HELPING” (helping condition), or no inscription (control) appeared. The second line was changed each day and for each bakery according to a random distribution. Results showed that more donations were made in the loving condition compared to the two others, whereas there was no difference between the helping and the control conditions. The results are explained using the spreading activation theory.