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Green Astroturfing Unpacked: The Moral Judgment of Direct and Indirect Tactics

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Listed:
  • Safaa Adil

    (ESSCA Research Lab - ESSCA - ESSCA – École supérieure des sciences commerciales d'Angers = ESSCA Business School)

  • Gilles Grolleau

    (ESSCA - ESSCA – École supérieure des sciences commerciales d'Angers = ESSCA Business School)

  • Naoufel Mzoughi

    (ECODEVELOPPEMENT - Ecodéveloppement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

Abstract

Some companies use deceptive tactics to persuade people that a particular position or recommendation has widespread support and originates from grassroots movements-a phenomenon referred to as astroturfing. We demonstrate that astroturfing exploits basic human heuristics to advance the sponsor's interests, often undermining genuine efforts to address environmental challenges. Moreover, we examine the moral seriousness of green astroturfing in a business-related context and test experimentally whether individuals perceive it differently when it originates directly from the company vs. through an intermediary. We find that moral judgment and recommended punishment for green astroturfing are significantly higher when the company outsources it.

Suggested Citation

  • Safaa Adil & Gilles Grolleau & Naoufel Mzoughi, 2025. "Green Astroturfing Unpacked: The Moral Judgment of Direct and Indirect Tactics," Post-Print hal-05298833, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05298833
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05298833v1
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