Preference for Anonymous Giving

Abstract

Individuals sometimes prefer to anonymously donate money when they can publicly do so. In other words, they deliberately hide their costly prosocial behavior from a broad audience. While existing research has collated various evolutionary theories emphasizing the value of public prosocial behavior, it has not endeavored to address the preference for anonymous giving. The article discussed potential explanations for the preference and pointed to the importance of further scholarly discussion about the value and function of anonymous prosocial behavior.