The just world, charitable giving and attitudes to disability

184 British adults completed three questionnaires; two just world scales; an attitudes to disability scale and a two-part scale looking at preferences for, and attitudes to charitable giving. It was predicted that those who believed in the just world would be less altruistic and hence sympathetic to people with disabilities and more sceptical about charitable giving. All measures had satisfactory internal reliability. As predicted just (but not unjust) world belief scores were associated with negative views of people with disability. Just and unjust world scores were positively correlated with beliefs in the inefficiency of charitable giving, and the purpose of charity. Whereas just world beliefs were positively correlated with beliefs about the efficiency of charitable giving and ideas that charitable givers are altruistic, unjust world beliefs were associated with beliefs that much charitable donating is done for cynical reasons.