Moral dilemmas and trust in leaders during a global health crisis

Bibliographic Data

ID4619770
AuthorsJim A C Everett (0000-0003-2801-5426, University of Kent), Clara Colombatto (0000-0003-3293-8741, Yale University), Emmanuelle Awad (0000-0001-7272-7186), Edmond Awad (University of Exeter), Paulo Sérgio Boggio (0000-0002-6109-0447, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie), Paulo Boggio, Bram Bos (0000-0003-0242-474X, Universität Hamburg), William J Brady (0000-0001-6075-5446, Yale University), Mukesh Chawla (0000-0001-9358-8015, Yale University), Vladimir Chituc (0000-0002-5316-6245, Yale University), Donghun Chung (0000-0003-1999-0326, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology), Moritz A Drupp (0000-0001-8981-0496, Universität Hamburg), Srishti Goel (0000-0003-4697-8840, Yale University), Brit Grosskopf (0000-0002-6535-5676, University of Exeter), Frederik Hjorth (0000-0003-4063-4983, University of Copenhagen), Alissa Ji (0000-0001-9368-8454, Yale University), Caleb Kealoha (0000-0002-3438-3519, Yale University), J-S Kim (0000-0001-5808-4081, Yale University), Yangfei Lin (0000-0002-5739-6654, University of Exeter), Yina Ma (0000-0002-5457-0354, Beijing Normal University), Michel André Maréchal (0000-0002-6627-0252, University of Zurich), Federico Mancinelli (0000-0002-4606-5876, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati), Christoph D Mathys (0000-0003-4079-5453, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati), Anne Lisbeth Olsen (0000-0002-7365-6161, University of Copenhagen), Gemma Pearce (0000-0002-4701-2629, University of Exeter), Annayah M B Prosser (0000-0003-2381-9556, University of Bath), Niv Reggev (0000-0002-5734-7457, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev), Nicholas Sabin (0000-0002-6702-976X, Universidad de Santiago de Chile), Jeremy Senn (0000-0003-3571-4444, University of Zurich), Yeon Soon Shin (0000-0002-7456-9254, Yale University), Walter Sinnott-Armstrong (0000-0003-2579-9966, Duke University), Hallgeir Sjåstad (0000-0002-8730-1038, Norwegian School of Economics), Madelijn Strick (0000-0002-3861-2235, Utrecht University), Sunhae Sul (0000-0001-5286-4343, Pusan National University), Lidewij Tummers (0000-0001-9940-9874, Utrecht University), Monique Mitchell Turner (0000-0002-9028-3029, Michigan State University), Monique Turner (0009-0000-3273-1156), Hongbo Yu (0000-0002-3384-7772, University of California, Santa Barbara), Yoonseo Zoh (0000-0002-3659-5638, Yale University), Molly J Crockett (0000-0001-8800-410X, Yale University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume5
Issue8
Pages1074-1088
Publication date2021-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNature Human Behaviour (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2397-3374 • E-ISSN: 2397-3374
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1038/s41562-021-01156-y
PMID34211151
OpenAlexW3095795449
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited68

Trust in leaders is central to citizen compliance with public policies. One potential determinant of trust is how leaders resolve conflicts between utilitarian and non-utilitarian ethical principles in moral dilemmas. Past research suggests that utilitarian responses to dilemmas can both erode and enhance trust in leaders: sacrificing some people to save many others ('instrumental harm') reduces trust, while maximizing the welfare of everyone equally ('impartial beneficence') may increase trust. In a multi-site experiment spanning 22 countries on six continents, participants (N = 23,929) completed self-report (N = 17,591) and behavioural (N = 12,638) measures of trust in leaders who endorsed utilitarian or non-utilitarian principles in dilemmas concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. Across both the self-report and behavioural measures, endorsement of instrumental harm decreased trust, while endorsement of impartial beneficence increased trust. These results show how support for different ethical principles can impact trust in leaders, and inform effective public communication during times of global crisis. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION STATEMENT: The Stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 13 November 2020. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.13247315.v1

Criminology · Moral dilemma · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Health and Conflict Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology