Peer-reviewed article

The impact of hunger and resource scarcity on children's fairness judgments and behaviors: A developmental cross-national investigation.

Jason M Cowell, Abigail Nehrkorn-Bailey, Varun Gauri, Julian C Jamison, Midas Millien et al. · 19 Aug 2026

Abstract

This study investigated how hunger and poverty influence children's willingness to share resources with a hungry recipient, as well as how these factors interact across development. Participants included 918 children aged 5 to 8 years from Bolivia, Haiti, and Cambodia, who were recruited from neighborhoods within each country varying in socioeconomic status. Children completed sharing tasks both before and after lunch. Linear mixed model analyses revealed that neighborhood poverty and acute hunger jointly influenced children's sharing behavior towards hungry recipients, but only when both factors and age were considered. These findings illuminate the developmental integration of socioeconomic and contextual cues in shaping children's social decision-making. Public significance statement: This study demonstrates how children consider both their own hunger and the availability of resources in their environment when deciding to share. The findings highlight the significant role that hunger plays in social cognitive development during middle childhood.