Can the call to prayer drive charitable giving?
A 2015 field experiment conducted by MIT in the Medina of Marrakesh, Morocco, examines the impact religion may have on prosocial behavior, such as charity.
While similar studies with similar results have been done, this one focused intentionally on Muslim shopkeepers during the 5-10 minute Islamic call to public prayer in a nearby mosque. The call is repeated five times a day.
Each shopkeeper was presented with a form with the same three giving options. Researchers could either give them 20 dirhams ($5.45) and give nothing to charity, give them 10 dirhams ($2.72) and give 30 dirhams ($8.17) to charity, or give them no dirhams and give 60 ($16.34) to charity.
Take a look at the donation choices of shopkeepers when the call to prayer was not audible compared to the choices of shopkeepers when it was audible.
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