doubtingt
Senior Member
Mods: I just realized this might be better placed in "politics"
This new study shows how conservatives and liberals differ in morality.
They had 1500 people respond 5 times per day for 3 days to randomly timed probes sent to them on their cell phones. Each of the 15 probes asked whether in the preceding hour, the person had committed, been the victim of, witnessed or heard about either a moral or an immoral act. They described the nature of each act.
Liberals and conservatives didn't differ in sensitivity or awareness of moral and immoral acts. But they did differ in the types of acts they offered as moral and immoral. Most of the acts reported by everyone dealt with either showing care for or causing harm to others. But the other acts is where the differences were. Liberals were more likely to report acts as immoral that involved being unfair, dishonest, or oppressive, and moral acts of being fair, honest, and protecting liberties. In contrast, conservatives were more likely to report immoral acts of being disloyal, subverting authority, or degrading something that should be sanctified. Conservatives reported moral acts were more likely to entail being loyal and honoring the sanctity of something.
The study is the first attempt to examine people's moral actions and moral judgments with real in-the-moment concrete events and experiences. But the findings converge with what is already known from survey type studies using more abstract descriptions or hypothetical events. Basically, conservatives are authoritarians who place more moral weight on obedience and conforming to norms and expectations, while liberals place more weight on acting oppressive, unfairly, or dishonestly toward others.
This new study shows how conservatives and liberals differ in morality.
They had 1500 people respond 5 times per day for 3 days to randomly timed probes sent to them on their cell phones. Each of the 15 probes asked whether in the preceding hour, the person had committed, been the victim of, witnessed or heard about either a moral or an immoral act. They described the nature of each act.
Liberals and conservatives didn't differ in sensitivity or awareness of moral and immoral acts. But they did differ in the types of acts they offered as moral and immoral. Most of the acts reported by everyone dealt with either showing care for or causing harm to others. But the other acts is where the differences were. Liberals were more likely to report acts as immoral that involved being unfair, dishonest, or oppressive, and moral acts of being fair, honest, and protecting liberties. In contrast, conservatives were more likely to report immoral acts of being disloyal, subverting authority, or degrading something that should be sanctified. Conservatives reported moral acts were more likely to entail being loyal and honoring the sanctity of something.
The study is the first attempt to examine people's moral actions and moral judgments with real in-the-moment concrete events and experiences. But the findings converge with what is already known from survey type studies using more abstract descriptions or hypothetical events. Basically, conservatives are authoritarians who place more moral weight on obedience and conforming to norms and expectations, while liberals place more weight on acting oppressive, unfairly, or dishonestly toward others.