The age of virtue signaling: Moral grandstanding as competitive display among young men

Abstract Moral grandstanding—the use of moral discourse to enhance one's status—has become a central feature of contemporary political expression. Drawing on representative survey data from Germany, France, Greece, and Hungary ( N = 8420), this study examines how grandstanding motivations vary across age, gender, and political affiliation. I distinguish between two motivational dimensions: prestige‐seeking, which aims to inspire admiration, and dominance‐seeking, which seeks to shame or outcompete others. The results reveal a striking demographic pattern: young men (ages 18–35) consistently report the highest levels of dominance‐oriented moral grandstanding, independent of party support. Gender differences are particularly pronounced in younger age groups, while older respondents, regardless of gender, exhibit lower levels of dominance‐seeking. In contrast, prestige‐seeking motivations are more evenly distributed and less sensitive to demographic variation. These findings suggest that moral grandstanding, particularly in its more antagonistic form, is driven less by party affiliation than by underlying social and psychological dynamics—most notably, the competitive status behaviors of young men. By identifying demographic roots of moralized political expression, this study contributes to broader debates on polarization, digital discourse, and the social performance of political identity.