Impact of moral messages in changeable systems

The U.S. prison system is largely ineffective at reducing incarceration and recidivism rates. Despite this, reformation of the prison system has not garnered much support. This could be due in part to system justification as the current system is perceived as unchangeable or fixed so attempts at change are ineffective. Prior research found that perceived changeability of a system can increase the motivation to change a system (vs. keeping it the same). An additional contribution towards the lack of reform may be moral attitudes towards prison reform. Altering these attitudes may lead to increased support for prison reform. Previous research on attitude persuasion found that moral appeals garner more support and are more persuasive compared to neutral and pragmatic arguments. The present study focuses on how perceived changeability and moral appeals impact attitudes towards and willingness to advocate for prison reform. Perceptions of changeability impacted perceived message effectiveness and importance of prison reform. When presented in unchangeable systems, practical appeals were more effective than moral appeals. How a system is framed impacts how individuals rate the importance of prison reform. Changeable systems led to reform being more important to people. Prison reform is rated as important when individuals believe it can be changed as unchangeable systems may increase system justification. Trying to change an unchangeable system may lead to individuals feeling an increased level of anxiety or hopelessness (Jost & Hunyady, 2005; Jost et al., 2008; Kay et al., 2009). Without the potential to change, individuals are not encouraged to adopt a system-change mindset as viewing feedback that criticizes the system without any potential for change promotes system justification (Johnson & Fujita, 2012).