Abstract
When people are morally convicted regarding a specific issue, these convictions exert a powerful influence on their attitudes and behavior. In the current research we examined whether there are boundary conditions to the influence of this effect. Specifically, whether in the context of salient economic rewards, moral convictions may become weaker predictors of attitudes regarding resource use. Focusing on the issue of mining we gathered large-scale samples across three different continents (Australia, Chile, and China). We found that moral convictions against mining were related to a reduced acceptance of mining in each country, while perceived economic rewards from mining increased acceptance. These two motivations interacted, however, such that when perceived economic benefit from mining was high, the influence of moral conviction was weaker. The results highlight the importance of understanding the roles of both moral conviction and financial gain in motivating attitudes towards resource use.
Highlights
Whether it is the logging of old growth forests, deep sea oil drilling or factory farming, these commercial activities provide humans with critical resources and promote economic prosperity, they trigger strong moral objection
We examined whether the salience of economic rewards may provide a boundary condition for the influence of moral conviction in shaping peoples’ attitudes toward resource use
Drawing on three large-scale samples from Australia, China, and Chile, we found that both moral convictions against mining and perceived economic benefit from mining were important predictors of whether people were willing to accept mining development in their own countries
Summary
Whether it is the logging of old growth forests, deep sea oil drilling or factory farming, these commercial activities provide humans with critical resources and promote economic prosperity, they trigger strong moral objection. Conflicts around the use versus protection of resources are evident across a range of sectors extending from mining to fishing, and even the commercial production of meat (e.g, [1]) These conflicts are understood from a moral perspective [2, 3, 4], with research showing that up to 45% of undergraduate students recognize global warming in ethical terms [5]. It is for this reason that people often form strong moral attitudes (moral convictions) regarding issues surrounding resource use Such moral convictions tend to reflect a deontological approach to the protection and conservation of natural resources, motivating strong issue resistance, and providing little space for a consideration of personal (and other) economic gain [6, 7, 8]. It is for this reason that these two motivations– moral conviction vs. economic gain–are readily seen as diametrically opposed in driving attitudes toward resource use ([9, 10], see [11]) and are often cited as underlying conflicts
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