| dc.description.abstract | Young adults in America are leaving congregations at exponential rates and one contributing factor is the perception that churches are unwilling to address pressing social issues such as those connected to the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality. Millennials and Generation Z increasingly want orgnaizations to comment on and respond to societal challenges, yet organizations grapple with identifying themost effective approach when framing such communication efforts. Using an experimental research design, this study tested which Moral Foundations Theory frames influenced participant's perceptions, attidtudes, and behavioral intentions based on social media content from a fictitious congregation. Based on responses from 149 surbey participants between 18-32 years of age, I found that the effectiveness of moral foundation frames differs significantly between young adults who attend church regularly and those who do not. To an audience that regularly attends chruch, the fairness/cheating message is likely to convince them to attend future social justice events hosted by the church. For the non-churched audience, the messaging does not significantly effect the physical actions after reading social media content. Implications for using Moral Foundations Theory in public relations are discussed at the conclusion of this study alongside practical implications for church communicators seeking to communicate about social justice issues. | |
