Moral Decision-Making During COVID-19: Moral Judgements, Moralisation, and Everyday Behaviour

Francis, K; McNabb, C

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.769177

Moral Decision-Making During COVID-19: Moral Judgements, Moralisation, and Everyday Behaviour

Francis, K; McNabb, C

Authors

Kathryn Francis k.francis@keele.ac.uk

C McNabb

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose significant health, economic, and social challenges. Given that many of these challenges have moral relevance, the present studies investigate whether the COVID-19 pandemic is influencing moral decision-making and whether moralisation of behaviours specific to the crisis predict adherence to government-recommended behaviours. Whilst we find no evidence that utilitarian endorsements have changed during the pandemic at two separate timepoints, individuals have moralised non-compliant behaviours associated with the pandemic such as failing to physically distance themselves from others. Importantly, our findings show that this moralisation predicts sustained individual compliance with government-recommended behaviours.

Acceptance Date	Dec 20, 2021
Online Publication Date	Feb 4, 2022
Publication Date	Feb 4, 2022
Publicly Available Date	May 30, 2023
Journal	Frontiers in Psychology
Electronic ISSN	1664-1078
Publisher	Frontiers Media
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	12
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.769177