Sacred values do not always elicit moral outrage

The role of moral outrage as a reaction to the consideration of taboo trade-offs is examined. In two samples from different cultural groups, moral outrage scores were found to be substantially different to those reported by Tetlock et al (2000). Moral outrage scores for a western sample from Australia and a Chinese sample were more moderate than a US sample. The two non-US samples exhibited less extreme reactions to a taboo trade-off scenario involving the life of a child. These differences are discussed in terms of possible modifications to the assumed universal relationship of moral outrage as a reaction to the consideration of taboo trade-offs. Cultural factors and cognitive predispositions are suggested as possible moderators of moral outrage reactions.