Moral Diversity Fosters Cultural Looseness and Reduces Norm Policing

How does moral diversity shape a community’s response to norm violations? Here, we argue that increased moral diversity may lead to greater tolerance for deviant behaviors and a lower propensity to enforce norms. In Studies 1 to 2, we examine two large-scale datasets, and in Studies 3 to 7, we conduct pre-registered controlled experiments ( N = 1,058), showing that people in more (versus less) morally diverse communities believe that the community’s norms are looser. In turn, norm violations are more accepted, and there is a reduced willingness to police transgressions. Our findings complement prior work on moral echo chambers and offer a new lens for understanding why communities and individuals differ in their tolerance of rule-breaking behavior.