The Moral Foundations of Group Perceptions

Abstract

We investigate the role of moral foundations in shaping attitudes towards various social and political groups in the United States. Using data from the 2023 SPEER survey (N=2,188), we examine how the five moral foundations—Care, Fairness, Loyalty, Authority, and Purity—relate to feelings towards left-sympathetic and right-sympathetic groups, while controlling for demographic factors. Our findings reveal that individualizing foundations (Care and Fairness) consistently predict warmer attitudes towards left-sympathetic groups and cooler attitudes towards right-sympathetic groups. Conversely, binding foundations (Loyalty and Authority) show strong associations with warmer attitudes towards right-sympathetic groups and cooler attitudes towards left-sympathetic groups. The Purity foundation demonstrates more complex relationships, defying simple left-right categorization. These results underscore the importance of considering psychological factors alongside demographics when studying group perceptions and affective polarization.