Organ donation: the role of gender in the attitude–behavior relationship

Abstract Positive attitudes toward organ donation often do not translate into behavior. The present study analyzes gender as a moderator of the attitude–behavior relationship. Due to helping behavior stereotypes, we expected women to show higher donation attitudes but a weaker attitude–behavior link than men. In G ermany, 60 women and 61 men participated in a questionnaire survey. Indeed, women showed higher positive attitudes, empathy, and norms compared to men. While intention to card signing seemed unaffected by gender, the moderator effect was confirmed: The link between attitudes and intention to sign was stronger for men than women. In predicting behavior, the moderator effect showed a trend toward significance. The results provide a new understanding of the link between donation attitudes and behavior.