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Subjective Status Shapes Political Preferences
Abstract
Economic inequality in America is at historically high levels. Although most Americans indicate that they would prefer greater equality, redistributive policies aimed at reducing inequality are frequently unpopular. Traditional accounts posit that attitudes toward redistribution are driven by economic self-interest or ideological principles. From a social psychological perspective, however, we expected that subjective comparisons with other people may be a more relevant basis for self-interest than is material wealth. We hypothesized that participants would support redistribution more when they felt low than when they felt high in subjective status, even when actual resources and self-interest were held constant. Moreover, we predicted that people would legitimize these shifts in policy attitudes by appealing selectively to ideological principles concerning fairness. In four studies, we found correlational (Study 1) and experimental (Studies 2–4) evidence that subjective status motivates shifts in support for redistributive policies along with the ideological principles that justify them.
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“Brown‐Iannuzzi, Lundberg, Kay, and Payne (2015) have shown that subjective status is correlated with support for redistributive policies”
From The psychology of social class: How socioeconomic status impacts thought, feelings, and behaviour (2018) · cites this paper as Brown‐Iannuzzi, Lundberg, Kay, and Payne (2015)
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“and that experimentally altering subjective status leads to changes in such support.”
From The psychology of social class: How socioeconomic status impacts thought, feelings, and behaviour (2018) · cites this paper as Brown‐Iannuzzi, Lundberg, Kay, and Payne (2015)
In the citing paper
“In both cases, lower subjective status was associated with stronger support for redistribution, even when actual resources and self‐interest were held constant.”
From The psychology of social class: How socioeconomic status impacts thought, feelings, and behaviour (2018) · cites this paper as Brown‐Iannuzzi, Lundberg, Kay, and Payne (2015)
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Metadata
- Authors
- Brown-Iannuzzi, J. L., Lundberg, K. B., Kay, A. C., & Payne, B. K.
- Affiliations
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Duke University (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2014-11-21
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 15-26
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- OpenAlex
- W2098662075
- Cited by
- 234
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 36.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Russell Sage Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social Power and Status Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Social Policy and Reform Studies
- Keywords
- subjective social status, redistribution, economic inequality, political preferences, self-interest, ideology, fairness, social comparison, policy attitudes
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attitude, Female, Humans, Male, Politics, Public Policy, Social Class, United States
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