Poster 7

Moral Differences Between Turkey and America

Duygu Ayse Worrall

This research was designed to test the hypothesis that moral judgments differ between American and Turkish cultures as well as between religions. Fifty-seven participants in Turkey and in the United States were given the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ-30) in their preferred language with additional questions regarding their nationality, country of residence, religion, and gender; 23 completed the survey in Turkish (14 female, 8 male, 1 N/A), and 34 in English (19 female,13 male, 2 N/A). Participants were asked to complete the online survey and to send it to acquaintances until the final sample size was achieved. Results indicated that followers of Christianity and followers of Islam varied in their opinions on the importance of justice and the importance of human rights when judging moral actions. For example, followers of Christianity, when compared to followers of Islam, believed that whether or not someone was denied their rights was more relevant when judging whether something is right or wrong. On the other hand, people who followed the Islam religion, when compared to believers of Christianity, agreed more with the statement that “justice is the most important requirement of a society.” People of Turkish and American cultures differed in their opinions on six moral grounds, including the aforementioned two as well as on the importance of God’s approval, societal traditions, absence of cruelty, and respect for authority. Although significant differences were found by culture and religion, the study could have benefited from a greater sample size, especially in terms of religious diversity.

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