Perception of class mobility moderates the relationship between social class and prosocial behaviour

Previous studies have reported contradictory relationships between social class and prosocial behaviour. Some studies have found that higher class individuals are more likely to exhibit prosocial behaviour than lower class individuals; whereas in others the opposite was observed. In view of this difference, this study proposed and tested the moderating role of perception of class mobility. Studies 1 and 2, using different operational definitions, revealed that the interaction effect between social class and perceived class mobility on prosocial behaviour was significant. Under the condition of lower perception of class mobility, lower class individuals showed less prosocial behaviour than higher class individuals. When perception of class mobility was higher, however, the prosocial behaviour of lower class individuals increased, showing no significant difference between lower and higher class individuals. Study 3 further explored why perception of class mobility might influence lower class individuals' prosocial behaviour and supported a mediating role of system-justifying belief. To some extent, these results provide a new perspective to understand the relationship between social class and prosocial behaviour.