“We show that the perception of moral decline is pervasive, perdurable, unfounded and easily produced, and suggest that this illusion has implications for research on the misallocation of scarce resources, the underuse of social support and social influence.”
I think EVERYONE should read this… it is so easy for media to manipulate people into thinking that the world is somehow darker, weirder, or more dangerous than it was before… I think this article will help people think critically about what inflammatory news tells them
I don’t think their take is nuanced enough. They’re talking in black and white terms, like either there is moral decline or there’s not. What seems to be happening is that people who lack morals are often drawn to positions of power over others. This is leading to an imbalance of declining morals in our leadership. It’s not all of us, but when they have control over the situation they’re going to have a disproportionate impact.