Role of Empathy in Moral Judgement Among Adults: A Predictive Study

Empathy plays a fundamental role in understanding the emotions, perspectives, and experiences of others and is considered an essential component of moral functioning. Individuals with higher levels of empathy are more likely to recognize the emotional consequences of their actions, thereby promoting ethical decision-making and socially responsible behaviour. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between empathy and moral judgement among adults and to determine whether empathy significantly predicts moral judgement. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed with a sample of 100 adults. Data were collected using standardized measures of empathy and moral judgement and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, and simple linear regression. The findings revealed a statistically significant moderate positive correlation between empathy and moral judgement (r = .534, p < .001). Regression analysis further indicated that empathy significantly predicted moral judgement, accounting for 28.5% of the variance in moral judgement scores (R² = .285, F (1,98) = 39.142, p < .001). The results suggest that empathy is an important psychological factor influencing moral judgement among adults. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature highlighting empathy as a significant predictor of ethical reasoning and may have implications for educational, counselling, and organizational settings where moral decision-making is essential.