Moral foundations and volunteers’ trust in institutions and organisations during social crises: evidence from Poland and Italy

In the present study, conducted in October 2023 in Poland and Italy, we examined a sample of volunteers ( N = 518) about which moral foundations are associated with trust in specific organisations that played a significant role during recent social crises in Europe: the COVID-19 pandemic and the refugee crisis. The objects of trust included: (1) government; (2) public institutions; (3) non-governmental organisations; (4) self-help groups existent before the crises; and (5) self-help groups emergent in response to the crises. Individualising moral foundations were positively related to trust in non-governmental organisations and self-help entities, whereas binding moral foundations were positively associated with trust in government, public institutions and NGOs, as well as in self-help groups. We discuss these results in light of moral foundations theory and put forward suggestions for future research on how to effectively engage audiences with individualising- or binding-oriented moral profiles during social crises.