MORAL OUTRAGE AND SOCIAL DISTANCING: BAD OR BADLY INFORMED CITIZENS?

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic citizens around the globe were urged to practice social distancing. Although many complied, not everyone did. These violations led to sharp moral outrage about the alleged immoral behavior. However, it is an open question whether violators fully realized the severity of the virus threat. We therefore surveyed (n = 1657) to what extent people condemned social distancing rules violations, to what extent they respected these rules, and how likely they felt that not respecting the rules would get them and others infected. Results indicated that people who respect social distancing less and find these violations more permissible also believe that the virus is less likely to infect them or others. This implies that violators do not necessarily care less about others; they simply see the virus as less threatening. Therefore, caution is needed when attributing social distancing violations to a lack of moral character.