Partisanship, political alignment, and charitable donations

Abstract This paper examines how alignment with the government influences beliefs about the efficiency and role of government, and examines the behavioral consequences of these beliefs. In particular, we examine how support of versus opposition to the government affects people’s charitable donations. For both Republicans and Democrats, we find that alignment with the government leads to a reduction in charitable donations. Specifically, when accounting for government spending, supporters of the incumbent government decrease their charitable contributions, while detractors increase theirs. We explain this result by documenting a shift in people’s beliefs about the efficiency and normative role of government.