ABSTRACT This research examines how social crowding impacts tipping behavior in service settings, proposing that crowding reduces tipping by diminishing empathy toward service workers. Across three studies, we tested this hypothesis using diverse methodologies and settings. Study 1, conducted online, demonstrated that participants exposed to crowded environments tipped less in a hypothetical scenario, with reduced empathy mediating this effect. Study 2, a field study at a stadium in Indiana, replicated these findings in a real‐world context, showing that crowding lowers empathy and tipping in high‐density settings. Study 3, conducted at a food court in Melbourne, Australia, revealed that enhancing perceived control mitigates the negative impact of crowding on empathy and tipping. Together, these studies provide robust evidence that crowding diminishes prosocial financial behavior via reduced empathy. The findings have important implications for managing service interactions, highlighting strategies to sustain tipping in crowded environments by enhancing empathy and customer control.
Wang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.