Cultural Differences in Morality in the Real and Virtual Worlds: A Comparison of Chinese and U.S. Youth

In this research, we examined cultural differences in morality in the real and virtual worlds and the relationship between the two. Approximately 600 Chinese and 600 U.S. youth, average age 12 years old, completed surveys assessing their moral attitudes and behavior in the real world and the acceptability of a diverse set of morally questionable online behaviors. Findings indicated that (a) Chinese youth considered good moral character to be more important than did U.S. youth, whereas U.S. youth considered exceptions to moral behavior that advanced individual goals to be more acceptable than did Chinese youth; (b) Chinese females had the highest level of moral behavior, followed by U.S. females and then Chinese and U.S. males, who did not differ; (c) Chinese youth found morally questionable online behaviors to be more acceptable than did U.S. youth, with the exception of videogame violence, which U.S. youth, especially males, found more acceptable; (d) moral attitudes and behavior in the real world predicted the acceptability of morally questionable online behaviors, whereas the importance of good moral character and the extent of Internet and other technology use did not. The more accepting youth were of exceptions to moral behavior that advanced individual goals, and the less moral their behavior in the real world, the more acceptable they found morally questionable online behaviors. Cultural differences are explained in terms of differences in perceptions of cyberspace as a venue for expressing individual autonomy.