Is It Worth the Hustle? A Multi-Country Replication of the Effort Moralization Effect and an Extension to Generational Differences in the Appreciation of Effort

Inferring moral character of individuals is an adaptive need for social decision-making. The effort moralization effect describes the finding that people who exert more effort in a task are seen as more moral, even if higher effort does lead to higher outcomes (e.g., higher performance or better quality). We replicated this effect, based on Celniker et al. (2023, Study 6), in countries not yet investigated (Germany and Mexico). Further, drawing on discussions around workforce participation (see ‘great resignation’ or ‘quiet quitting’) criticizing the lower work ethic of younger individuals (e.g., the so-called Gen Z), we tested whether (ineffective) effort is moralized less in younger individuals. Our findings support the generalizability of effort moralization to Germany and Mexico, yet point to heterogeneity in effect strength. However, our findings do not support the hypothesis that effort moralization increases with age. This indicates that young people do not see effort as less valuable than older people. We discuss further implications and limitations of these findings and suggest avenues for future research on effort moralization.