The Role of Social Media and Digital Technology in Enhancing Charitable Participation in the Provinces of Iran

This study aims to examine the role of social media and digital technology in enhancing charitable participation across the provinces of Iran. Considering the growing importance of charitable engagement for social and economic development and the increasing influence of digital media, the study investigates both the direct and indirect effects of these tools on charitable participation. The statistical population includes all 31 provinces of Iran during the period 2016–2024, with data collected from official national databases and nonprofit organization reports. The main variables include charitable participation as the dependent variable, social media and digital technology as independent variables, and three control variables: household per capita income growth rate, social capital, and education level. Given the panel structure of the data and the unequal distribution of charitable participation across provinces, the panel quantile regression method was employed to estimate the effects across nine quantiles, using EViews version 13 for analysis. The findings indicate that social media and digital technology have significant positive effects on charitable participation, with stronger impacts observed in higher quantiles. Furthermore, the interaction between social media and digital technology demonstrates a significant synergistic effect, showing that the simultaneous use of both tools maximizes participation in provinces with medium to high engagement. Social capital serves as a stable driver, while education and income act as reinforcing factors facilitating participation. Direct and indirect effect analysis suggests that policy interventions simultaneously focus on developing social networks, enhancing digital infrastructure, and strengthening social capital to optimize charitable participation.
This study aims to examine the role of social media and digital technology in enhancing charitable participation across the provinces of Iran. Considering the growing importance of charitable engagement for social and economic development and the increasing influence of digital media, the study investigates both the direct and indirect effects of these tools on charitable participation. The statistical population includes all 31 provinces of Iran during the period 2016–2024, with data collected from official national databases and nonprofit organization reports. The main variables include charitable participation as the dependent variable, social media and digital technology as independent variables, and three control variables: household per capita income growth rate, social capital, and education level. Given the panel structure of the data and the unequal distribution of charitable participation across provinces, the panel quantile regression method was employed to estimate the effects across nine quantiles, using EViews version 13 for analysis. The findings indicate that social media and digital technology have significant positive effects on charitable participation, with stronger impacts observed in higher quantiles. Furthermore, the interaction between social media and digital technology demonstrates a significant synergistic effect, showing that the simultaneous use of both tools maximizes participation in provinces with medium to high engagement. Social capital serves as a stable driver, while education and income act as reinforcing factors facilitating participation. Direct and indirect effect analysis suggests that policy interventions simultaneously focus on developing social networks, enhancing digital infrastructure, and strengthening social capital to optimize charitable participation.
This study aims to examine the role of social media and digital technology in enhancing charitable participation across the provinces of Iran. Considering the growing importance of charitable engagement for social and economic development and the increasing influence of digital media, the study investigates both the direct and indirect effects of these tools on charitable participation. The statistical population includes all 31 provinces of Iran during the period 2016–2024, with data collected from official national databases and nonprofit organization reports. The main variables include charitable participation as the dependent variable, social media and digital technology as independent variables, and three control variables: household per capita income growth rate, social capital, and education level. Given the panel structure of the data and the unequal distribution of charitable participation across provinces, the panel quantile regression method was employed to estimate the effects across nine quantiles, using EViews version 13 for analysis. The findings indicate that social media and digital technology have significant positive effects on charitable participation, with stronger impacts observed in higher quantiles. Furthermore, the interaction between social media and digital technology demonstrates a significant synergistic effect, showing that the simultaneous use of both tools maximizes participation in provinces with medium to high engagement. Social capital serves as a stable driver, while education and income act as reinforcing factors facilitating participation. Direct and indirect effect analysis suggests that policy interventions simultaneously focus on developing social networks, enhancing digital infrastructure, and strengthening social capital to optimize charitable participation.