‘Would I lie to you?’ The effects of materialistic values on unethical decision making and behaviour

Engaging in unethical behaviours, such as cheating, lying, stealing and fraud, holds significant consequences for individuals and the broader community. Drawing on self-determination theory, we posit that in a consumer-centric society, where one’s worth is often linked to wealth, celebrity status, and appearance, individuals with a strong materialistic orientation might be motivated to engage in unethical behaviour in pursuit of financial gains. Study 1 surveyed university students in Macao, China, and crowdsourcing workers from the UK, demonstrating that materialistic values were linked to unethical decision-making in vignette-based scenarios. This association held in both societies, suggesting a culture-independent connection between unethicality and materialism. To establish causal relationships, we conducted experiments manipulating materialistic values in Macanese (Study 2) and British (Study 3) participants. Results revealed a significant impact of these values on behavioural measures of unethicality, with those in the materialistic-values condition more likely to lie for financial gains compared to those in the control groups. The implications of these findings for societal well-being are discussed.