Cross-cultural research on moral values | Oliver Scott Curry | oliver.curry@anthro.ox.ac.

uk | February 2014

Are there any universal moral values?

I'm currently compiling a list of cross-cultural research that investigates whether and to what extent different cultures find different things
morally good & bad (see below).

Are there any studies that I've overlooked? If so, I'd be very grateful if you could point them out to me.

Ideally, I'm looking for studies that compare multiple (ie more than two) cultures, but any / all suggestions would be welcome. Any
contributions will be acknowledged in the eventual paper.

Thank you in advance,

Oliver

Dr Oliver Scott Curry

Departmental Lecturer
Institute of Cognitive & Evolutionary Anthropology
University of Oxford
64 Banbury Road
Oxford, OX2 6PN
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Cross-cultural research on moral values | Oliver Scott Curry | oliver.curry@anthro.ox.ac.uk | February 2014
Reference
The Origin and Development of
the Moral Ideas (Westermarck,
1906)
Comparative Deviance:
Perception and law in six
cultures (Newman, 1976)
An evolutionary analysis of
rules regulating human
inbreeding and marriage
(Thornhill, 1991)
Universals in the content and
structure of values: Theory and
empirical tests in 20 countries
(Schwartz, 1992)
A Preliminary Cross-Cultural
Study of Moral Intuitions
(O’Neill & Petrinovich, 1998)
Question Method / DV Sample Answer
“Why do the moral “the survey of an “mankind at large” Evolved moral emotions and similarities of
ideas in general differ unusually rich and human nature make prohibition of homicide &
so greatly? And, on varied field of research theft, and approval of charity, generosity,
the other hand, why is psychological, mutual aid & honesty, universal. Differences
there in many cases ethnographical, arise due to “external circumstances”, extended
such a wide historical, juridical, circles, reflection on motives & consequences,
agreement?” theological” and supernatural beliefs.
Do cultures differ in Anti-social offences Samples from six A “general consensus across all countries as to
their disapproval of rated for degree of countries (India, the extent that all acts should be tolerated”,
specific crimes? seriousness / Indonesia, Iran, Italy, “the amount of official punishment appropriate”,
punishment. United States, & and relative rankings.
Yugoslavia)
What is the cross- Coding prohibitions 129 societies Incest explicitly prohibited in 33/129 (26%)
cultural prevalence of against incest, societies. Inbreeding & intermarriage
incest rules, and why inbreeding, prohibitions reflect variation in patrilocality &
do they vary so intermarriage from paternity confidence, lineage solidarity &
much? HRAF & SCCS inheritance, stratification & concentration of
ethnographies. wealth.
To what extent is the Ratings (-1-7) of 56 40 samples (Ns≈200) (of Conformity, Tradition, Benevolence and
content, structure and values (11 types) students and teachers) in Universalism “close to universals”. ‘Value
priority of values subject to Smallest 20 countries. priorities’: “tradition, conformity, and
cross-culturally Space Analysis. benevolence...more important in communal
universal? societies...self-direction, stimulation, and
universalism...more important in contractual
societies.”
Are there universal Trolley problems & US (N=120/567) & Both groups preferred “to save humans at the
principles guiding lifeboat dilemmas Taiwan (N=173) expense of nonhumans...kin and friends at the
moral thinking? varying Action/Inaction, expense of strangers...a greater number of
Number, Social individuals than a lesser number, and...to take
Contract, Inclusive action than to do nothing”. Social Contract and
Fitness, Elitism, Elitism dimensions had little effect.
Speciesism.
Cross-cultural research on moral values | Oliver Scott Curry | oliver.curry@anthro.ox.ac.uk | February 2014
Reference
'Economic Man' in Cross-
cultural Perspective: Behavioral
experiments in 15 small-scale
societies (Henrich et al., 2005)
Shared Virtue: The
Convergence of Valued Human
Strengths Across Culture and
History (Dahlsgaard, Peterson,
& Seligman, 2005)
A Dissociation Between Moral
Judgments and Justifications
(Hauser, Cushman, Young,
Kang-Xing Jin, & Mikhail, 2007)
Mapping the Moral Domain
(Graham et al., 2011)
World Values Survey, as
reported in What predicts
religiosity? A multinational
analysis of reproductive and
cooperative morals (Weeden &
Kurzban, 2013)
Question Method / DV
Is fairness (and trust) Ultimatum (and public
a human universal, goods) games.
and / or influenced by
social environment?
Are there any Selective literature
ubiquitous / widely review
valued virtues?
Do different Internet-based trolley
populations observe problems contrasting
the principle of double necessary / incidental
effect? harm.
Do cultures differ on Moral Foundations
five moral Questionnaire (Harm/
foundations? Care, Fairness/
Reciprocity, Ingroup/
Loyalty, Authority/
Respect, and Purity/
Sanctity)
Are there differences Questionnaire items
between the moral rating the justifiability of
values of different cooperative (eg lying)
countries / regions? and reproductive (eg
homosexuality) morals.
Sample Answer
15 (6) small scale Fairness (and trust) exhibited in all societies;
societies on four variation related to degree of market
continents. integration, importance of cooperation, and
patterns of everyday life.
Ancient texts from eight Six recurrent virtues: courage, justice,
traditions (Confucianism, humanity, temperance, wisdom, and
Taoism, Buddhism, transcendence.
Hinduism, Athenian
philosophy, Christianity,
Judaism, Islam)
Samples from Australia, No significance difference between
Canada, US and UK populations.
Eastern cultures (South Minuscule differences between East and West.
Asia, East Asia, and Eastern participants scored higher on all
Southeast Asia; n = measures; Ingroup (d=0.08), and Purity (d =
2,258) & Western 0.06) and Harm, Fairness, and Authority (ds <
cultures (United States, 0.04).
United Kingdom,
Canada, and Western
Europe; n = 104,893).
~90 countries / 10 Little variation between countries & regions on
regions cooperative morals (R2s=.0.094, 0.022); slightly
more on reproductive morals. (0.219, 0.124).
Cross-cultural research on moral values | Oliver Scott Curry | oliver.curry@anthro.ox.ac.uk | February 2014

References
Dahlsgaard, K., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Shared Virtue: The Convergence of Valued Human Strengths Across Culture and History. Review of
General Psychology, 9(3), 203-213. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.9.3.203
Graham, J., Nosek, B. A., Haidt, J., Iyer, R., Koleva, S., & Ditto, P. H. (2011). Mapping the Moral Domain. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(2),
366-385. doi: Doi 10.1037/A0021847
Hauser, M. D., Cushman, F., Young, L., Kang-Xing Jin, R., & Mikhail, J. (2007). A Dissociation Between Moral Judgments and Justifications. Mind & Language,
22(1), 1-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0017.2006.00297.x
Henrich, J., Boyd, R., Bowles, S., Camerer, C., Fehr, E., Gintis, H., . . . Tracer, D. (2005). 'Economic Man' in Cross-cultural Perspective: Behavioral experiments in
15 small-scale societies. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28(6), 795–855.
Newman, G. (1976). Comparative Deviance: Perception and law in six cultures.
O’Neill, P., & Petrinovich, L. (1998). A Preliminary Cross-Cultural Study of Moral Intuitions. Evolution and Human Behavior, 19(6), 349-367. doi: http://dx.doi.org/
10.1016/S1090-5138(98)00030-0
Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theory and empirical tests in 20 countries. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental
social psychology (Vol. 25, pp. 1-65). New York: Academic Press.
Thornhill, N. W. (1991). An evolutionary analysis of rules regulating human inbreeding and marriage. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 14(02), 247-261. doi: doi:
10.1017/S0140525X00066449
Weeden, J., & Kurzban, R. (2013). What predicts religiosity? A multinational analysis of reproductive and cooperative morals. Evolution and Human Behavior, 34(6),
440-445.
Westermarck, E. A. (1906). The Origin and Development of the Moral Ideas. London: Macmillan.