The Long-Term Effects of Virtual Reality on Empathy Towards Homeless and Intention to Help: The Moderating Role of Cause Involvement

In a context where virtual reality (VR) is emerging as a promising tool for fostering prosocial engagement, this study aimed to deepen our understanding of its lasting effects on empathic responses and intentions to help. The main objective was to examine the long-term effects of immersive VR (vs. non-immersive) on empathy and intention to help, while taking into account the level of personal involvement in the cause as a moderating variable. A laboratory experiment was performed with 153 students, collecting data at two time points: immediately after exposure to the virtual experience and three months later. The results reveal that the long-term effect of immersive VR on empathy is significantly stronger than that observed in the non-immersive VR condition. However, no significant difference was found in the intention to help between the two experimental conditions. Furthermore, the analyses show that empathy plays a complete mediating role in the long-term relationship between immersive VR (vs. non-immersive) and intention to help. Finally, the results highlight that cause-involvement positively moderates the relationship between empathy and intention to help: the more participants feel personally involved in the cause, the stronger the translation of empathy into intention to help.