Beyond the Stereotype: Exploring Monetary Donations and Volunteerism Among People With Disabilities

This study aims to provide empirical evidence supporting the perception of people with disabilities as givers and to explore their giving behaviors. Utilizing data from 2019 Social Survey by Statistics Korea, the study combined resource theory and selective optimization with compensation (SOC) theory to compare monetary donations and volunteer behaviors between people with disabilities and people without disabilities while identifying factors that influence giving behavior among people with disabilities. The study findings revealed that people with disabilities participate in giving behaviors despite resource scarcity, and disability had no significant effect on volunteer hours. Social and cultural resources were significant factors that influenced the amount of donations and hours of volunteering among people with disabilities. In addition, a mutual spillover effect was observed between donation amounts and volunteer hours. Such findings highlight the importance of lowering the barriers and connecting people with disabilities to giving behaviors.