When Caring is Not Enough: Liberals Provide Less Public Support for Liberal Causes that Use Conservative Moral Language

Five studies examine how the moral framing around a political cause impacts liberals’ and conservatives’ public support for a cause. Studies 1-2 find that liberals are less inclined to express public support for left-wing causes (e.g. #metoo) that are framed using conservative as opposed to liberal moral language. When expressing support in private, liberals’ support is no longer sensitive to moral framing. Study 3 demonstrates that conservatives’ support for a cause they care about (e.g. illegal immigration) is not influenced by moral framing and consistent in public and private. Study 4 suggests that liberals are motivated to promote liberal moral values and deflect public attention from more conservative moral values. Finally, Study 5 finds evidence for this pattern of behavior among liberals on a real social media platform. Overall, liberals are less likely to publicly support a cause they care about when it is perceived as promoting conservatives’ moral agenda.