The effects of Virtual Reality (VR) on charitable giving: The role of empathy, guilt, responsibility, and social exclusion

As Virtual Reality (VR) continues to have an increased presence in the consumer marketplace, charitable and non-profit organizations are looking to VR to stimulate charitable giving (monetary or volunteering). The objective of this research is to investigate the effects of VR on empathy, guilt, responsibility, and donation of time and money in the social marketing context. Supported by the media richness theory (MRT) and the social presence theory (SPT), the results of three experimental studies suggest that content viewed on a VR platform, when compared against a traditional two-dimensional video media platform (VM), increases empathy, increases responsibility, and instigates higher intention to donate money and volunteer time towards a social cause. For socially excluded individuals, VR enhances the level of guilt and social responsibility, ultimately leading to a higher intention to volunteer. Although, this did not manifest for monetary donations.