Young, Selfish and Male: Field evidence of social preferences*

This study examines social preferences in three distinct field environments. In the first field setting, I allow consumers of all age and education levels to participate in one‐shot and multiple‐shot public goods games in a well‐functioning marketplace. The second field study, an actual university capital campaign, gathers data from mail solicitations sent to 2,000 Central Florida residents. In the third field experiment, I examine data from an uncontrolled environment, a television gameshow, which closely resembles the classic prisoner's dilemma game. Several insights emerge; perhaps the most provocative is that age and social preferences appear linked.