How moral values underpin and affect attitudes on ethnic discrimination

Abstract

When political elites and activists promote anti‐discrimination policies, they often frame discrimination as violating liberal moral values such as fairness, care for vulnerable groups, and equality. However, this approach may fail to resonate with conservative voters and could even alienate them. Through two separate studies, this article uses a multi‐method approach to examine the moral values held by supporters and opponents of discrimination and test how conservative and liberal value appeals influence acceptance. The findings reveal that values like loyalty, care for the in‐group, authority, and sanctity appear in acceptors' justifications and that framing discrimination as a violation of these values, associated with conservatism, reduces acceptance across the political spectrum. Contrastingly, appealing to values associated with liberalism backfires and increases Republicans' acceptance. While liberal values were central in shifting social norms towards anti‐discrimination, appealing to conservative values may be more effective in reducing contemporary acceptance of discrimination.