It's easy to find examples of hypocrisy or bad behavior in political discourse on any social media platform, turn on TV or podcast, and new research from political scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln may explain why. The results of a large survey study co-authored by Kyle Hull, Kevin Smith and Clarisse Warren show that people are willing to go against morals and even behave unethically when engaging in politics.
The results also show that hostility towards external groups (i.e., opposition parties) is a driver of moral ambiguity when respondents move from the personal sphere to the political sphere.
And there is not only one party at fault.
Hull, a visiting assistant professor of political science, said"People, regardless of age or ideology, are more willing to behave and judge immorally, if those actions are in the political sphere. And this is largely influenced by the heart'The other party'Driven by true disgust"。
The researchers developed a survey and surveyed four different samples of adults, with a total of 2472 respondents participating. The survey includes the Non-Political and Political Ethical Behavior Scale and the Political and Non-Political Moral Tolerance Scale.
Leland J and dorothy h.Olson) political science professor Smith said"Basically, we ask the same people pretty much the same questions. The only difference is that we put'people'Changed to'Politicians'。This is enough to change people's moral judgments. The way it changes makes our ethical assessment more flexible"。
This included an assessment of the bad behavior of politicians, as the co-authors found that people had a higher moral tolerance for their favorite politicians, similar to how they were willing to tolerate the behavior of their friends.
The results highlight the dangers of anger politics in an increasingly polarized — and often toxic — political environment, the researchers say.
Hull said:"I think there are reasons to be worried. As long as there is some kind of aversion to the outside group in people, there is definitely a risk of behavior when people are willing to behave less ethically. Politics will make us do things we wouldn't normally do and tolerate things we wouldn't normally tolerate. It sometimes brings out the worst in us. The way some politicians and ** talk about the other side contribute to this fire to some extent. The more we speak of one party or another as the bad guys, the more we feel this way and the more willing we are to put morality aside. "
Building on Smith's work, this research explores how political engagement and ideology drive moral values and choices, rather than the other way around.
Smith said"If this is true, then the standards for moral behavior or moral choices that people adopt in their personal lives may be different from those used in the political world. That's what we found. Politics doesn't turn left or right, young or old, rich or poor, into jerks. Politics seems to have turned all of us into jerks"。