Moral Framing Effects on Environmental Attitudes: A Conceptual Replication and Extension of Feinberg and Willer (2013)

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between moral framing, political orientation, and pro-environmental attitudes, replicating and extending Feinberg and Willer (2013) in a non-Western context. Using a Turkish-speaking sample (N = 699), we examined the effectiveness of care and sanctity-framed messages and the moderating role of actively open-minded thinking (AOT). Our findings partially replicated the original study. Sanctity framing increased pro-environmental attitudes among conservatives, while care framing had no significant effect. Political conservatism was negatively associated with pro-environmental attitudes, confirming prior findings. Exploratory analyses revealed that AOT moderated the effects of sanctity framing on environmental attitudes, with individuals low or moderate in AOT being more responsive. Both care and sanctity frames increased environmental donation, addressing the intention-behavior gap. However, cultural nuances, such as the collectivist orientation of the sample, may have influenced the care frame's ineffectiveness. The study highlights the importance of cultural context in moral framing research and underscores the need for context-specific climate communication strategies.