Freakonomics Radio Are the Rich Really Less Generous Than the Poor? (Update)
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Dec 26, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, economist Jim Andreoni, behavioral economist Jan Stoop, and Nikos Nikiforakis delve into the surprising dynamics of wealth and generosity. They explore groundbreaking research that challenges the notion that the rich are inherently less altruistic. By conducting an innovative field experiment involving misdelivered envelopes, they reveal that wealthier households actually returned more envelopes than poorer ones. The conversation also highlights how financial stress may diminish the returns of the less wealthy, reshaping understandings of generosity.
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Lab Findings Don't Equal Real-World Truth
- Multiple lab and survey studies suggest wealth correlates with less prosocial behavior in some settings.
- Stephen J. Dubner and guests question whether those findings generalize to real-world behavior.
The Misdelivered Envelope Field Test
- Jan Stoop and colleagues misdelivered see-through envelopes containing cash or transfer cards to real Dutch households.
- The experiment disguised the deliveries with a postal uniform and recorded whether recipients forwarded the envelopes.
Rich Returned Envelopes More Often
- The rich returned envelopes at much higher rates than the poor in this Dutch experiment.
- Return rates were roughly 80% for wealthy households and 40% for poor households.