Do moral values mediate the political divide on climate change in the Netherlands?
Summary
Previous research has consistently reported on the association between political ideology and
environmentalism. More specifically, that left-wing individuals engage more with
environmentalism compared to right-wing individuals. Previous studies in the US indicate that
this relationship may be mediated by endorsement in the moral concerns related to care and
fairness, also known as individualizing moral foundations. Regression models and multiple
mediation models were used to investigate whether this interaction holds true in a non-US
context, namely the Netherlands. The results supported the predicted mediating role of
individualizing moral foundations, with no mediating effects of the binding moral foundations of
loyalty, authority and purity, in the relationship between political ideology and
environmentalism. These results indicate that right-wing individuals endorse less in
environmentalism due to lower concerns for individualizing moral values compared to left-wing
individuals. These findings confirm the important role of moral values in addressing
environmentalism to mitigate climate change.