PROTECTED VALUES

Protected values are those that resist trade-offs with other values, p articularly economic values. We propose that such values arise from de ontological rules concerning action. People are concerned about their participation in transactions rather than just with the consequences t hat result. This proposal implies that protected values, defined as th ose that display trade-off resistance, will also tend to display quant ity insensitivity, agent relativity, and moral obligation. People will also tend to experience anger at the thought of making trade-offs, an d to engage in denial of the need for trade-offs through wishful think ing. These five properties were correlated with tradeoff resistance (a cross different values, within subjects) in five studies in which subj ects answered several questions about each of several values, or in wh ich they indicated their willingness to pay to prevent some harmful ac tion. These correlations were found even when the subjects could not t ell the experimenters which values they were responding to, so they ca nnot be ascribed entirely to subjects' desire to express commitment. W e discuss implications for value measurement and public policy. (C) 19 97 Academic Press.