Personality-based segmentation: Decision tree analysis of willingness to become an organ donor.

The promotion of organ donation requires a better understanding of the profiles of individuals who are more or less likely to become organ donors. Yet, beyond some demographic attributes, we do not know much about the personality attributes of the typical donor. In the present study, we first examined the structure of organ donation attitudes and behaviors among university students ( N = 367). Next, we conducted decision-tree based segmentation analyses to see how this structure was related to various individual differences such as conscientiousness, empathy, time orientation, religiosity, and interpersonal trust. These analyses were preferred because distributions of the reasoned action variables were skewed and there were complex interactions among them. Decision trees not only revealed these complex interactions, but also the personality profiles of the typical donor, contemplator, and the rejecter. We believe, identification of these interactions suggests new directions for the design of more effective campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]