The Moral Boundaries Impacting Support for the Troops

• In Event: 3271 - Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity

Abstract

Despite initiatives and public discourse around, “supporting the troops,” many post-9/11 veterans struggle to connect with institutional and social resources. Examining the receiving side, various experiments have demonstrated that demographic and high-level deployment information may trigger stereotypes that affect employers’ likelihood of hiring veterans. Comparatively less is known about how other types of gatekeepers evaluate veterans, even though civilian reentry involves multiple, simultaneous pursuits in both professional and social domains. How might an admissions committee judge veteran applicants? How might parents react to the news that their daughter is bringing home a veteran? Existing research also offers little insight on how the moral associations people have with military service may affect how veterans are received. Using a factorial survey vignette experiment, this study tests how veterans with a variety of military backgrounds are evaluated by the American public in four types of gatekeeping situations. Findings indicate veterans may be less welcomed in situations leading to close and sustained contact, such as when they are trying to date your daughter or join your team at work. Results also suggest that several moralized aspects of military service (e.g., killing an enemy combatant on a deployment) strongly and negatively impact veterans’ candidacy for social interaction.

Author

• Alexis Pang, New York University