Getting blood from collective turnips: Volunteer donation in mass blood drives

Abstract

Analyzed correlates of volunteer blood donation in 2 separate mass blood drives, based on data from 1,722 university students, 1,080 donors and 642 nondonors. Previous research on blood donor motivation has suggested that altruistic, humanitarian reasons are the chief motives for donation. Present results indicate virtually no association between donorship and altruism (measured by a modified version of Wrightman's Philosophies of Human Nature Scale). Donors were more responsive to social pressure and incentives and less impeded by a free-rider tendency and the costs of giving than were nondonors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)