Researchers looking at people’s perceptions of moral decline have found some curious patterns in a recently published study. Looking back at data collected over the past 70 years, they have found a consistent belief reported by thousands of informants that moral values and moral behavior have declined or decayed over the course of the informant’s life span such that now people are less respectful, less kind, less honest, good or “nice” than they remember from their childhood. The study authors were able to access data from 59 other countries that mirrored the results in the USA. People believe that moral values are declining.
Moral behavior in ordinary life
However, when people are asked about the people they are in contact with on a daily basis, they report similar levels of kindness, honesty, etc. as people have reported in the past. In response to questions like: “Were you treated with respect all day yesterday?” or “Would you say that most of the time people try to be helpful, or that they are mostly just looking out for themselves?” or “During the past 12 months, how often have you carried a stranger’s belongings, like groceries, a suitcase, or shopping bag?” reported answers have not changed over time.
This suggests that the belief that moral decline is widespread may be an illusion, since people do not report concrete evidence of decreased helpfulness or respect. Interestingly, when asked about conditions “before your birth” people reported similar levels of good moral behavior at 40 years and 20 years before they were born. The reported decline began at around the year of the respondant’s birth, regardless of when that was: it was the same in all age groups. Then they reported a regular decline from that time to the present such that the absolute decline was greater for older people than for younger, but the rate of decline reported was about the same.
What causes the illusion?
Two mechanisms are suggested for the creation of this illusion of decline. One is the way in which bad news is reported and shared, while things like kids helping their grandparents on the weekends are not newsworthy, either for the public media or in the unofficial grapevine of the community. The other is the way our memories of the past work: gradually the sad or angering incidents are smoothed over, and the good memories of the past, especially childhood and young adulthood are enhanced.
So what?
The real-world takeaway from all this is that public policy or personal action in the public sphere should not be founded on the presumed decline in moral values. If it motivates people to work with Brownie troops to teach children to be respectful to their elders, that’s one thing, but if it leads people to propose legislative changes designed to prevent people from declining in moral behavior, unintended consequences are very possible. Actions taken should be based on real-life data, not on hazy memories of a happy childhood.
Nancy
Reference:
Adam M. Mastroianni & Daniel T. Gilbert. The illusion of moral decline. Nature. Published online June 7, 2023. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06137-x