Small-world conservatives and rigid liberals: Attitudes towards sharing in self-proclaimed left and right

We experimentally explore the way political preferences shape giving behavior. We find no difference in average giving between the left and the right in a dictator game environment. However, we find the reasons for giving to be different. Right-leaning individuals give according to a norm-dependent utility that takes into account the beliefs of the receiver. The behavior of left-leaning individuals is not shaped by such an interaction between norms and beliefs. We conclude that right-wingers choose in accordance with a “small world” view, where giving is shaped by social interaction, while left-wingers appear rigid in their reaction to social context.