The Psychological Distance of Modern Slavery Risk

Modern slavery has become recognized as one of the world's great human rights challenges due to the high prevalence of coercive labor exploitation associated with the production and consumption of many goods and services across the globe. Yet, while its practice is commonly considered to be "unseen" and far removed from many people's everyday lives and working experiences, the micro-level bases of individual perceptions and actions taken in response to this "distal" threat remain poorly understood. In this paper, we develop and test a model linking the "psychological distance of modern slavery risk" to individual concerns, ethical organizational climate, and intentions to engage in mitigating behaviors in the workplace. Results from a survey of 511 working adults from UK businesses show that "closer" psychological distance to modern slavery is associated with higher levels of concern and greater intention to act in response to this risk. We also find that ethical climate moderates the impact of modern slavery risk concerns on intentions to engage in mitigating behaviors. Our study findings, therefore, complement existing research by pinpointing the key roles of psychological distance and ethical climate in modern slavery risk responses and highlighting the potential for micro-level interventions to help promote antislavery action.