In practice people arenât able to figure out the the nuances a personâs net wealth and income and expenses are and how much of a sacrifice giving 10k really means to them. So theyâre forced to make a judgement quickly based on limited information.
Being vegan is a less noisy signal of personal commitment than giving 10k to charity, so people will take this more seriously, whether thatâs fair or not.
Iâve thought about this a bit, and I donât think I fully understand the point youâre making.
Surely, absent more context, a 10k donation is a strong signal? It only becomes weaker if you assume the donor is very rich (e.g. âitâs <5% of their incomeâ). But in the effective altruism community, that assumption would often be wrong.
Being vegan is a less noisy signal of personal commitment than giving 10k to charity, so people will take this more seriously, whether thatâs fair or not.
I donât know whether this is correct on average, but it likely depends a lot on context. For example, being vegan in Hollywood might be seen as trend-following or health-related, while being vegan at a university might come across as principled and self-sacrificing.
Also, I donât think itâs true that most of the people youâre trying to signal to donât have important information about you. If youâre telling friends you donated 10k, they likely know whether thatâs a major sacrifice for you. And if a news story says âdoctor donates 10% of her salaryâ, most readers will grasp the significance.
Iâm not sure itâs true that people generally see a 10k donation as less of a personal sacrifice than going vegan. But even if they did, I doubt the effect is especially important?
In practice people arenât able to figure out the the nuances a personâs net wealth and income and expenses are and how much of a sacrifice giving 10k really means to them. So theyâre forced to make a judgement quickly based on limited information.
Being vegan is a less noisy signal of personal commitment than giving 10k to charity, so people will take this more seriously, whether thatâs fair or not.
Iâve thought about this a bit, and I donât think I fully understand the point youâre making.
Surely, absent more context, a 10k donation is a strong signal? It only becomes weaker if you assume the donor is very rich (e.g. âitâs <5% of their incomeâ). But in the effective altruism community, that assumption would often be wrong.
I donât know whether this is correct on average, but it likely depends a lot on context. For example, being vegan in Hollywood might be seen as trend-following or health-related, while being vegan at a university might come across as principled and self-sacrificing.
Also, I donât think itâs true that most of the people youâre trying to signal to donât have important information about you. If youâre telling friends you donated 10k, they likely know whether thatâs a major sacrifice for you. And if a news story says âdoctor donates 10% of her salaryâ, most readers will grasp the significance.
Iâm not sure itâs true that people generally see a 10k donation as less of a personal sacrifice than going vegan. But even if they did, I doubt the effect is especially important?