Justice Sensitivity, Anger and Bashing Acceptance:A Moderated Mediation Analysis

Abstract

During the novel coronavirus pandemic, people who defied the call for isolation and the government’s requirement for self-quarantine have encountered frequent condemnation. There was a prevailing acceptance of such bashing behavior. Given this context, this study focused on justice sensitivity as a key factor in the acceptance of bashing. Participants (N=1,000) read a short scenario that involved a person who goes out despite the self-quarantine requirement. The results showed a moderated mediation in which individuals with higher justice sensitivity showed a greater degree of anger, which in turn led to higher bashing acceptance when the scenario was judged as an injustice.