ARMED: moral decision-making among military personnel and civilians

Introduction

In life, we are constantly confronted with situations where we must make decisions, with varying degrees of complexity and consequences. In dilemmas with a moral aspect, the choices can cause harm to the parties involved. When examining high-risk professions (such as defense, police, firefighters, and paramedics), decisions can have significant moral repercussions since lives are at stake. Understanding how high-risk professionals, such as military personnel, determine the appropriate course of action in moral conflicts, can assist in preventing harm.

Given that morality plays a crucial role in military decision-making, we aim to explore the moral choices military personnel make in a hypothetical war scenario. In addition, we seek to examine the differences in moral decision-making between military personnel and civilians. Finally, we will administer additional questionnaires to identify the factors associated with moral decision-making.

ARMED is a questionnaire-based study. The research requires 1,000 participants, who must be between 18 and 65 years old. Participation is open to both military personnel and civilians. The study takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Project overview

Objective:

1. Explore the moral choices made by military personnel in a hypothetical wartime scenario.
2. Study the contrast in moral values between military personnel and the civilian populace.
3. Examine the factors associated with moral decision-making.

Study population:

Military personnel and civilians (18-65 years old).

Timeframe:

The study has started in 2024. The expected duration is 1 year.

Results:

Results of the study are expected by the end of 2025.