When Moral Appeals Miss the Mark: Workplace DEI Persuasion and Backfire Effects

Anna N. Hoover

Advisor: Deborah E. Rupp, PhD, Department of Psychology

Committee Members: Reeshad Dalal, Lauren Kuykendall

Online Location, https://gmu.zoom.us/j/7200205556
April 09, 2026, 11:00 AM to 01:00 PM

Abstract:

Employees hold divided attitudes towards workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which can impact their ability to collaborate at work. To harness the benefits of workplace diversity while also encouraging cohesion among employees, organizations must understand how to communicate their approach to workplace DEI initiatives to shape employee attitudes amidst oscillating public sentiment towards these initiatives. This research employed two experimental studies to investigate the effectiveness of moral reframing (Feinberg & Willer, 2019; Graham et al., 2009) as a persuasion technique aimed at shifting employees’ attitudes regarding workplace DEI initiatives. Study 1 found a potential backfire effect of moral reframing, in which pro workplace DEI initiative messages using traditionally politically conservative moral frames (i.e., authority and purity) led to decreased attitudinal support for workplace DEI initiatives among politically conservative employees. Study 2 sought to replicate this potential backfire effect on a sample of politically conservative employees and investigate the mechanisms responsible. Results showed that, among conservatives, pro workplace DEI initiative messages using traditionally conservative frames did not lead to significantly decreased attitudinal support for such DEI initiatives. However, pro workplace DEI initiative messages using traditionally conservative frames did increase perceived threat to freedom and state anger, markers of psychological reactance. This research suggests that using moral reframing to shift attitudes toward workplace DEI initiatives may cause negative reactions among conservative individuals. It is recommended that future research seek to replicate the negative cognitive and emotional reactions that conservative individuals may experience in persuasion contexts and investigate ways to mitigate psychological reactance.