Empathetic concern, altruism, and the pursuit of distributive justice

This paper explores the idea that empathetic concern has the potential to influence preferences for distributive justice. A theoretical model is proposed in order to examine conditions in which empathetic concern might influence individual preferences These hypothetical results are tested empirically using data from the General Social Survey. During the years 2002 and 2004, the survey contained information on variables designed to measure empathetic concern. Using this measure, this paper examines the influence of empathetic concern on national issues like the distribution of wealth, Social Security, welfare, aid to the poor, and foreign aid as well as more local issues like giving food or money to the homeless, volunteering for charity, and giving money to charity. Overall, a general pattern emerges suggesting that empathetic concern has a statistically and economically significant influence on preferences for distributive justice. However, empathetic concern does not seem to have much of an influence on preferences for welfare or foreign aid.