Inequity in Washington State COVID-19-Related Crowdfunding

Luchsinger, Cadence; Kenworthy, Nora; Igra, Mark; Jung, Jinkyu

doi:10.2139/ssrn.4358945

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…If the fundraisers who are not White primarily attract donors who are of the same race and who may not have substantial financial resources, then the characteristics of donor networks may matter as much or more than direct racial bias to the fundraising outcomes. Indeed, Igra et al [ 60 ] found that in wealthier counties, where people have greater educational achievement, campaigns for health and economic funding during COVID-19 received more funding than campaigns in areas with lower income and education. Owing to systemic racism, these areas are often White in the majority.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating Racial Disparities in Cancer Crowdfunding: A Comprehensive Study of Medical GoFundMe Campaigns

Zhang,

Wang,

Lane

et al. 2023

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background In recent years, there has been growing concern about prejudice in crowdfunding; however, empirical research remains limited, particularly in the context of medical crowdfunding. This study addresses the pressing issue of racial disparities in medical crowdfunding, with a specific focus on cancer crowdfunding on the GoFundMe platform. Objective This study aims to investigate racial disparities in cancer crowdfunding using average donation amount, number of donations, and success of the fundraising campaign as outcomes. Methods Drawing from a substantial data set of 104,809 campaigns in the United States, we used DeepFace facial recognition technology to determine racial identities and used regression models to examine racial factors in crowdfunding performance. We also examined the moderating effect of the proportion of White residents on crowdfunding bias and used 2-tailed t tests to measure the influence of racial anonymity on crowdfunding success. Owing to the large sample size, we set the cutoff for significance at P<.001. Results In the regression and supplementary analyses, the racial identity of the fundraiser significantly predicted average donations (P<.001), indicating that implicit bias may play a role in donor behavior. Gender (P=.04) and campaign description length (P=.62) did not significantly predict the average donation amounts. The race of the fundraiser was not significantly associated with the number of donations (P=.42). The success rate of cancer crowdfunding campaigns, although generally low (11.77%), showed a significant association with the race of the fundraiser (P<.001). After controlling for the covariates of the fundraiser gender, fundraiser age, local White proportion, length of campaign description, and fundraising goal, the average donation amount to White individuals was 17.68% higher than for Black individuals. Moreover, campaigns that did not disclose racial information demonstrated a marginally higher average donation amount (3.92%) than those identified as persons of color. Furthermore, the racial composition of the fundraiser’s county of residence was found to exert influence (P<.001); counties with a higher proportion of White residents exhibited reduced racial disparities in crowdfunding outcomes. Conclusions This study contributes to a deeper understanding of racial disparities in cancer crowdfunding. It highlights the impact of racial identity, geographic context, and the potential for implicit bias in donor behavior. As web-based platforms evolve, addressing racial inequality and promoting fairness in health care financing remain critical goals. Insights from this research suggest strategies such as maintaining racial anonymity and ensuring that campaigns provide strong evidence of deservingness. Moreover, broader societal changes are necessary to eliminate the financial distress that drives individuals to seek crowdfunding support.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating Racial Disparities in Cancer Crowdfunding: A Comprehensive Study of Medical GoFundMe Campaigns

Zhang,

Wang,

Lane

et al. 2023

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Investigating Racial Disparities in Cancer Crowdfunding: A Comprehensive Study of Medical GoFundMe Campaigns (Preprint)

Zhang,

Wang,

Lane

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUND In recent years, there has been growing concern about prejudice in crowdfunding; however, empirical research remains limited, particularly in the context of medical crowdfunding. This study addresses the pressing issue of racial disparities in medical crowdfunding, with a specific focus on cancer crowdfunding on the GoFundMe platform. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate racial disparities in cancer crowdfunding using average donation amount, number of donations, and success of the fundraising campaign as outcomes. METHODS Drawing from a substantial data set of 104,809 campaigns in the United States, we used DeepFace facial recognition technology to determine racial identities and used regression models to examine racial factors in crowdfunding performance. We also examined the moderating effect of the proportion of White residents on crowdfunding bias and used 2-tailed t tests to measure the influence of racial anonymity on crowdfunding success. Owing to the large sample size, we set the cutoff for significance at P<.001. RESULTS In the regression and supplementary analyses, the racial identity of the fundraiser significantly predicted average donations (P<.001), indicating that implicit bias may play a role in donor behavior. Gender (P=.04) and campaign description length (P=.62) did not significantly predict the average donation amounts. The race of the fundraiser was not significantly associated with the number of donations (P=.42). The success rate of cancer crowdfunding campaigns, although generally low (11.77%), showed a significant association with the race of the fundraiser (P<.001). After controlling for the covariates of the fundraiser gender, fundraiser age, local White proportion, length of campaign description, and fundraising goal, the average donation amount to White individuals was 17.68% higher than for Black individuals. Moreover, campaigns that did not disclose racial information demonstrated a marginally higher average donation amount (3.92%) than those identified as persons of color. Furthermore, the racial composition of the fundraiser’s county of residence was found to exert influence (P<.001); counties with a higher proportion of White residents exhibited reduced racial disparities in crowdfunding outcomes. CONCLUSIONS This study contributes to a deeper understanding of racial disparities in cancer crowdfunding. It highlights the impact of racial identity, geographic context, and the potential for implicit bias in donor behavior. As web-based platforms evolve, addressing racial inequality and promoting fairness in health care financing remain critical goals. Insights from this research suggest strategies such as maintaining racial anonymity and ensuring that campaigns provide strong evidence of deservingness. Moreover, broader societal changes are necessary to eliminate the financial distress that drives individuals to seek crowdfunding support.

show abstract

Inequity in Washington State COVID-19-Related Crowdfunding

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Investigating Racial Disparities in Cancer Crowdfunding: A Comprehensive Study of Medical GoFundMe Campaigns

Investigating Racial Disparities in Cancer Crowdfunding: A Comprehensive Study of Medical GoFundMe Campaigns

Investigating Racial Disparities in Cancer Crowdfunding: A Comprehensive Study of Medical GoFundMe Campaigns (Preprint)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About