Zunyuan Zheng defends his doctoral thesis "Cancer experience and charitable giving"

The thesis investigates the impact of cancer experience on individual charitable giving behaviors, analyzing how personal or familial encounters with cancer—whether through diagnosis or death—affect donations, particularly to cancer-related charities.

It uncovers a pattern of “ingroup altruism born of suffering”, where those affected by cancer are more likely to give and tend to donate larger amounts to cancer charities. In contrast, non-cancer-related charities experience no change or a decline in donations. This pattern extends to charitable bequests as well, although they are significantly limited by the presence of close family members.

In Sweden, cancer charities play a crucial role, typically leading in fundraising efforts. This research adds to the existing literature by looking into the effects of health shocks, specifically cancer, on giving to related charities. Set within the Swedish context, where the economic burden of diseases is relatively low, this study focuses on the direct influence of cancer experience on philanthropy. This allows for a clearer understanding of how such profound personal adversities shape charitable behaviors.

Read the thesis here