Omroep Brabant received massive responses after the article about Naomi’s stolen stroller from Dongen. People offered her a new stroller or wanted to give money. Last week, a complete stranger offered Samantha and her children from Tilburg a free holiday. What drives people to do something like that?
“It’s very simple: empathy,” says René Bekkers, professor of Philanthropy at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam. “You feel touched and you can imagine such a situation. You think: how nice it would be if someone helped me too.”
According to the professor, recognition also plays an important role. “Empathy often works more easily with people who are similar to yourself.” This was also visible in Naomi: many mothers offered her their own stroller. “Mothers find it easier to empathize with that position.”
More sensitive
Some people are more sensitive to these types of stories than others. “Some people get upset more easily when they see someone is in trouble. Other people are less likely to be emotionally affected.”
According to Bekkers, empathy is something revolutionary. “People help each other in times of need. That is a good quality for an animal species that is very vulnerable. Without cooperation, people in prehistoric times would never have survived animals, the ice age and setbacks caused by nature.”
The fact that these types of stories have such a stir is partly due to the internet. “If you don’t see it on the internet, you are not actively working on it or people have to draw your attention to it. Some people think: what should I do with it? Others offer help. That is a very interesting and beautiful phenomenon.”
Lots of hassle
But what is better to give: money or things? Naomi was offered several strollers. “Sometimes that is very smart, sometimes not. Because how many strollers do you need? Six strollers are of no use.” According to Bekkers, many people also think that things always end up in the right place.
“But they forget that it costs money and time to get the stuff somewhere. Logistics is expensive and still a lot of hassle. So in many cases it is more inefficient to give stuff than money.”
Yet he also sees a difference in perception. “Stuff provides more bonding. Money is more impersonal and anonymous.”
Group norms
According to Bekkers, social media and group norms also play a role in these types of donations. “And sometimes not in a good way,” he says. “There are group norms that determine who you should or should not help. Many people believe that people who have not made an effort to help themselves deserve less help,” he gives as an example. “They find innocent victims by chance much more worthy of help.”
He continues: “If it is someone who lives in poverty and is robbed, it is even worse and more pathetic.” Still, Bekkers likes the example of Naomi and Samantha. “It sometimes also dispels the doubt whether you can still trust people in this day and age. But most people are of good will and not criminals.”
