The role of social signaling and ethnic norms in charitable giving: a field experiment in Vietnam

In this field experiment involving ethnic and income groups in Vietnam, we explore the role of social signaling—a construct encompassing both status-seeking and public recognition—in charitable giving. We find that individuals from the Hoa (Chinese) ethnicity and those in higher income brackets are more prone to engage in social signaling by donating more. Conversely, the Khmer, influenced by their ethnic norms, are less likely to use donations as a form of social signaling. Our findings align with a multifaceted theoretical model that integrates social signaling and ethnic norms to explain the complexities of charitable giving behavior. This study not only enriches our understanding of why people donate but also underscores the nuanced interplay of social signaling and cultural norms.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Nguyen, Q., Kim, H.T., Trinh, M. and Chang, S.-W. (2025), The Role of Social Signaling and Ethnic Norms in Charitable Giving: A Field Experiment in Vietnam. Journal of Public Economic Theory, 27: e70017, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/jpet.70017 . This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.