背景:近年来,人们越来越担心众筹中的偏见;然而,实证研究仍然有限,特别是在医疗众筹的背景下。这项研究解决了医疗众筹中种族差异这一紧迫的问题,特别关注GoFundMe平台上的癌症众筹。
目的:本研究旨在使用平均捐赠金额调查癌症众筹中的种族差异,捐款数量,和筹款活动的成功作为结果。
方法:从美国104,809个活动的大量数据集中得出,我们使用DeepFace面部识别技术来确定种族身份,并使用回归模型来检查众筹绩效中的种族因素。我们还研究了白人居民比例对众筹偏见的调节作用,并使用2尾t检验来衡量种族匿名对众筹成功的影响。由于样本量大,我们将显著性的截止值设定为P<.001。
结果:在回归和补充分析中,筹款人的种族身份显著预测了平均捐款(P<.001),这表明内隐偏见可能在捐赠者行为中起作用。性别(P=.04)和活动描述长度(P=.62)并不能显着预测平均捐赠金额。筹款人的种族与捐赠数量没有显着相关(P=0.42)。癌症众筹活动的成功率,尽管总体上较低(11.77%),与筹款人的种族有显著的关联(P<.001)。在控制了筹款人性别的协变量之后,募捐年龄,当地白色比例,活动描述的长度,和筹款目标,白人的平均捐赠金额比黑人高17.68%。此外,未披露种族信息的运动显示,平均捐赠金额(3.92%)略高于有色人种。此外,发现募捐者居住县的种族构成具有影响力(P<.001);白人居民比例较高的县在众筹结果中表现出减少的种族差异。
结论:这项研究有助于更深入地了解癌症众筹中的种族差异。它强调了种族认同的影响,地理环境,以及捐赠者行为中潜在的内隐偏见。随着基于Web的平台的发展,解决种族不平等和促进卫生保健筹资公平仍然是关键目标。这项研究的见解提出了诸如保持种族匿名性和确保竞选活动提供有力证据的策略。此外,为了消除促使个人寻求众筹支持的财务困境,更广泛的社会变革是必要的。
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.