Moral panics can produce long-lasting changes in society.

Evidence

Societies appear to be subject, every now and then, to periods of moral panic. … Sometimes the panic passes over and is forgotten, except in folklore and collective memory; at other times it has more serious and long-lasting repercussions and might produce such changes as those in legal and social policy or even in the way society conceives itself. — Lynley Hood, A City Possessed, 55

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Lynley Hood, A City Possessed, 55
• XREF: connects to: Sometimes the panic passes over and is forgotten, except in folklore and collective memory; at other times it has more serious and long-lasting repercussions. — Moral Panic - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics; Even if a specific moral panic does not seem to leave immediate traces of routinization, its very happening may leave memories and cognitive deposits. — FOREWORD: Moral Panics—36 Years On; Moral panics arise from cultural strains caused by social change and serve as mechanisms of social control reinforcing existing power dynamics. — Moral Panic | Social Sciences and Humanities | Research Starters (+10 more)