Words vs. Actions: How Social Identity and Subjective Well-Being Shape Helping Behaviors Toward Refugees

Abstract

This research examined the association between social identity and helping behavior toward refugees and the potential moderating role of subjective well-being (SWB). Two experiments contrasted hypothetical helping (Study 1, N  = 120; a hypothetical dictator game) with actual behavioral helping (Study 2, N  = 94; a donation from participants’ own participation fee). In both studies, participants were randomly assigned to evaluate an in-group (Turkish) or out-group (Syrian) student facing financial hardship. In Study 1, participants allocated more hypothetical resources to the Syrian student than to the Turkish student, and perceived victimization was positively correlated with helping; SWB did not significantly moderate this association ( p  = .12). In Study 2, participants donated more to the Turkish student than to the Syrian student, and SWB moderated this association: the in-group advantage was significant at low and average levels of SWB but not at high levels. Because SWB was measured after the manipulation and differed between conditions, the moderation findings should be interpreted with caution. The contrasting patterns across the two studies suggest that whether helping is hypothetical or costly may shape the direction of intergroup helping, underscoring the value of combining both types of measures.