Previous studies have shown that socioeconomic status is correlated to altruistic behavior. The role of empathy as one of the motivations for altruistic behavior is gradually gaining attention among researchers. This study explores the role of empathy in the mechanisms of socioeconomic status and altruistic behavior in Chinese adolescents. A total of 253 middle school students from Northern China participated in this study, which included the dictator game and Interpersonal Relation Index. Results showed that (1) low-SES students behaved more generously than high-SES students; (2) the students were more generous to the low-SES recipients, as shown when offering them more money in the dictator game; (3) affective rather than cognitive empathy mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status and altruistic behavior. The findings provide evidence for the validation of the empathy–altruism hypothesis in a group of Chinese adolescents. Meanwhile, it reveals the path to improving altruistic behavior through the promotion of empathy, especially for individuals of high socioeconomic status.

This study examined the longitudinal relationships among self-concept clarity (SCC), hope, and subjective well-being (i.e., emotional well-being and cognitive well-being). Specifically, we tested both the between-person and within-person associations of SCC with subjective well-being among 2,001 Chinese adolescents (age range 11–24 years, 42.9% males) during the first year. In addition, we examined the longitudinal mediating role of hope. Results showed that SCC had positive correlations with hope and subjective well-being both at one time point and over time. Multilevel mediation analysis indicated that hope could serve as a mediator in the association between SCC and subjective well-being, at both the between-person and within-person levels. Moreover, the model of longitudinal multilevel mediation was found to be moderated by gender and age. Our results indicated that hope could be an underlying mechanism for the longitudinal relationship between SCC and subjective well-being among Chinese adolescents, which provides a potential intervention target for improving adolescents’ well-being.