Moralizing War and Dividing Society: An Analytical Framework of War Attitudes and Social Cohesion

Public attitudes toward wars, such as in Ukraine and Gaza, are often shaped by moral convictions, reflecting intuitive judgments of right and wrong. Existing research rarely distinguishes between different moral foundations, forms of war involvement, or the social consequences of moralized debates. This paper proposes an analytical framework that systematically maps who moralizes which aspects of war involvement and how these attitudes affect social cohesion. The framework differentiates individual versus collective moralization, moral foundations (e.g., harm, fairness, loyalty), and types of involvement (e.g., support for intervention or military aid). It links these attitudes to outcomes for social cohesion, including trust, polarization, and intergroup relations. By integrating these dimensions, the framework provides a structured approach to understanding the complex relationship between moral convictions, war-related attitudes, and social cohesion, offering conceptual clarity and practical guidance for future research.