How do moral appeals influence people’s fairness judgments?

• 17/08/2023
• Economics
• Prof. Dr Michael Kurschilgen

Moral appeals are known to promote selfless behaviour. But when people have conflicting ideas about what exactly is right behaviour (for example, due to different cultural, religious or socio-demographic backgrounds), there can be hidden costs.

In a recent paper, Prof. Dr Michael Kurschilgen notes that appeals to morality can increase polarisation as people hold on to their moral extremes. The increase in polarisation largely coincides with an increase in revealed gender differences. A higher moral consciousness leads men to focus even more on efficiency, while women insist on more equality.

Read the paper and find out more about Prof. Dr Michael Kurschilgen