Income inequality influences perceptions of legitimate income differences
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This article argues that public opinion regarding the legitimacy of income differences is influenced by actual income inequality. When income differences are perceived to be high, the public thinks of larger income inequality as legitimate. The phenomenon is explained by the system justification motivation and other psychological processes that favor existing social arrangements. Three experiments show that personal experiences of inequality as well as information regarding national-level income inequality can affect which income differences are thought of as legitimate. A fourth experiment shows that the system justification motivation is a cause of this effect. These results can provide an empirical basis for future studies to assume that the public reacts to inequality with adapted expectations, not increased demands for redistribution.
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Informed participants updated their ideals about what a fair income distribution would look like.
“another survey experiment showed that informed participants updated their ideals about what a fair income distribution would look like, but not their policy attitudes toward redistribution (Trump, 2018).”
From Factual belief polarization between Democrats and Republicans: source or epiphenomenon of ideological and affective polarization? (2024) · cites this paper as Trump, 2018
Informed participants did not update their policy attitudes toward redistribution.
“another survey experiment showed that informed participants updated their ideals about what a fair income distribution would look like, but not their policy attitudes toward redistribution (Trump, 2018).”
From Factual belief polarization between Democrats and Republicans: source or epiphenomenon of ideological and affective polarization? (2024) · cites this paper as Trump, 2018
The study's findings are consistent with a previous study which revealed that corrective information on income inequality can change people's ideals, but not directional policy attitudes.
“Overall, this study's findings are, therefore, consistent with a previous study which revealed that corrective information on income inequality can change people's ideals, but not directional policy attitudes (Trump, 2018).”
From Factual belief polarization between Democrats and Republicans: source or epiphenomenon of ideological and affective polarization? (2024) · cites this paper as Trump, 2018
A previous study on income differences demonstrated that ideals might be more responsive to corrective information than directional policy attitudes.
“A previous study on income differences demonstrated that such ideals might be more responsive to corrective information than directional policy attitudes (Trump, 2018).”
From Factual belief polarization between Democrats and Republicans: source or epiphenomenon of ideological and affective polarization? (2024) · cites this paper as Trump, 2018
The decline in Republican support for governmental regulation of the economy reflects economic system justification, that is, the conservative defence of increasing inequality as fair and legitimate under the neoliberal regime.
“Presumably, this reflects economic system justification, that is, the conservative defence of increasing inequality as fair and legitimate under the neoliberal regime101,107,176–181.”
From Cognitive–motivational mechanisms of political polarization in social-communicative contexts (2022) · cites this paper as [178]
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Cognitive–motivational mechanisms of political polarization in social-communicative contexts
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- Authors
- Trump, K.-S.
- Corresponding author
- Trump, Kris-Stella
- ORCID
- Trump, Kris-Stella
- Venue
- British Journal of Political Science
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2017-02-20
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 929-952
- ISSN
- 0007-1234 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-2112
- OpenAlex
- W3123404614
- Cited by
- 236
- References
- 71
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 6
- FWCI
- 45.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Locations
- British Journal of Political Science (publishedVersion)
- SSRN Electronic Journal (acceptedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Income, Poverty, and Inequality
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Social Policy and Reform Studies
- Keywords
- income inequality, system justification, public opinion
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