Perceived outgroup characteristics as antecedents and consequences of moral exclusion

The literature of group-based moral exclusion emphasizes that the two main reasons for excluding certain groups from the boundaries of moral regard are perceived threat and social distance. Nonetheless, we cannot rule out the possibility that these two variables are not just antecedents but also posterior justifications for moral exclusion. To reveal this possibility, applying a two-wave cross-lagged panel design, we tested the temporal directions of the relationships between group-based moral exclusion on the one hand, and perceived intergroup threat and social distance on the other. Our assumptions were tested in the case of the beliefs about two target groups within Hungary, Muslim immigrants and Roma people. Beliefs about Roma people showed that while perceived outgroup characteristics did not significantly predict moral exclusion over time, the latter showed a significant longitudinal relationship with both perceived outgroup characteristics. Both group characteristics predicted moral exclusion longitudinally in the case of Muslim immigrants, while the latter predicted only perceived threat. These results imply that outgroup characteristics, like perceived intergroup threat and social distance, do not always function as mere antecedents of moral exclusion, but are also potential post-hoc justifications for it.