Moral relativists resist health mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic

In a study of US residents during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, their moral judgments of noncompliance with health mandates predicted their failure to comply with these health-promoting guidelines (r = +0.87, n = 303). Moreover, and consistent with ethics position theory (Forsyth, 2020), moral relativism predicted both moral judgments of noncompliance and noncompliance itself, and these relationships remained significant when controlling for other factors, such as political orientation and race. Moral beliefs that emphasized minimizing harm to others (idealism), in contrast, were not associated with compliance. These findings are both empirically noteworthy and practically significant: (a) they affirm the close connections among moral personality, moral judgment, and individuals' actions in morally turbulent situations and (b) suggest moral framings will strengthen the effectiveness of health promotion campaigns.