Coronavirus Ethics: Judgments of Market Ethics in a Pandemic

COVID-19 has required major changes in behavior and created significant health and economic concerns for many individuals. In this context, we have explored ethical judgments as part of a larger project on market ethics. We found that marketing practices judged as highly unethical before the pandemic, were judged to be much less unethical one year later. Of the questionable practices examined during the lockdown, those related to the pandemic (e.g., price gouging on hand sanitizer) were generally evaluated the most unethical, equal to or more unethical than the most egregious practices previously tested. Experience of lockdown affected ethical judgments, with number of people in the household, lockdown duration, and time spent on social media associated with less unethical judgments. Broader effects of the pandemic, including negative affect, diminished well-being, and financial difficulties, were also associated with less ethical concern. Implications for policymakers and marketing practitioners are discussed.