Econometrica

Journal Of The Econometric Society

An International Society for the Advancement of Economic
Theory in its Relation to Statistics and Mathematics

Edited by: Guido W. Imbens • Print ISSN: 0012-9682 • Online ISSN: 1468-0262

Econometrica: Mar, 2025, Volume 93, Issue 2

People Are More Moral in Uncertain Environments

https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA20574
p. 439-462

Yiting Chen|Songfa Zhong

We conduct a series of experiments and document a robust behavioral pattern whereby people behave more morally in uncertain environments than degenerate deterministic ones. We show that this pattern is weakened when the moral implication of behavior is diminished or when uncertainty pertains to others rather than oneself. These findings are incompatible with standard models that respect dominance. We propose a mechanism based on the anxiety aspect of uncertain environments whereby people act morally as if their moral behavior can help deliver a better outcome. We further delve into the complexity aspect of uncertainty to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of these findings.


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Supplemental Material

Supplement to "People Are More Moral in Uncertain Environments"

Yiting Chen and Songfa Zhong

This appendix contains material not found within the manuscript.

Supplement to "People Are More Moral in Uncertain Environments"

Yiting Chen and Songfa Zhong

The replication package for this paper is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14402442. The Journal checked the data and codes included in the package for their ability to reproduce the results in the paper and approved online appendices.


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