Framing the Gift of Life: An Empirical Examination of Altruism, Social Distance and Material Incentives in Non-Directed Kidney Donor Motivation

Abstract

This study utilizes frame theory to examine the persuasiveness of the National Kidney Foundation’s altruistic “gift of life” frame in improving the number of living kidney donations. We surveyed a sample of 73 individuals to assess the relationship between social distance, increasing material incentives and donor motivation. Our results suggest that altruism is significantly related to donor motivation only for donations to immediate family members and that limited material incentives, as well as strategic “re-framings” that address the social distance between donor and recipient, may be important in enhancing donations among individuals unrelated to kidney transplant recipients.