Is belief priming associated with prosocial intentions? Experimental evidence from Turkey

Abstract

In light of prior research emphasizing the complexity of the link between religiosity and prosocial tendencies, it has remained unknown which specific aspects of faith might motivate individuals to increase concerns about the welfare of others. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of various dimensions of faith (positive, neutral, and negative) on prosocial intentions, considering preexisting levels of religiosity. Initially, participants (N = 217) were asked to provide demographic information and indicate their levels of religiosity through an online data collection platform. Subsequently, participants were randomly assigned to experimental groups in which involving made-up passages describing research findings that emphasized positive (N = 77), negative (N = 78), or neutral (N = 62) outcomes of faith. Finally, participants responded to four scenarios assessing their prosocial intentions. The findings showed that highlighting positive outcomes of faith increases prosocial intentions, particularly among individuals with higher levels of preexisting religiosity. However, neutral or negative aspects of faith showed no significant impact on prosocial intentions, regardless of religiosity levels. These findings contribute to ongoing debates by showing the significance of accounting for individual and contextual variances in religious prosociality and expand previous research by providing evidence from a non-Western cultural context, Turkey, with a predominantly Muslim population.