Attitudes towards income inequality
| Autor: | Inge Sieben, Tim Huijts, Karlijn L. A. Roex |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Sociology, ROA / Education and transition to work, RS: GSBE Theme Learning and Work |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
LAND
Sociology and Political Science social identity theory UNITED-STATES 050109 social psychology polarisation system justification theory Economic inequality BELIEFS 050602 political science & public administration Economics Social position 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences TOLERANCE Income inequality Social identity theory 05 social sciences meritocratic perceptions 0506 political science Legitimation FAIRNESS Meritocracy Demographic economics International Social Survey Programme 2009 (Social Inequality) LEGITIMATION SYSTEM |
| Zdroj: | Acta Sociologica Acta Sociologica, 62(1), 47-63. Sage Publications Ltd Acta Sociologica, 62(1), 47-63. SAGE Publications Ltd |
| ISSN: | 0001-6993 |
| Popis: | Individuals with a higher social position are more tolerant of current income inequality than individuals with a lower social position. Besides this, attitudes towards income inequality are influenced by inequality-legitimising myths in a given society. Little is known about how these two factors interact. This study combines these two lines of research and argues that different social strata are more polarised in their attitudes towards inequality in societies with strong prevalent meritocratic perceptions. We expect lower-status individuals (i.e. with a lower income or education) to experience a threat to their group esteem and therefore be less likely to support their society’s inequalities in societies with such strong meritocratic perceptions. This hypothesis was tested using data from the International Social Survey Programme 2009 (Social Inequality) on 39 countries. The results show that different social strata are indeed more polarised in their attitudes towards inequality in societies where meritocratic perceptions are more prevalent. Our results are robust for income, but not for education. This suggests that in perceived meritocracies, people regard income as the primary indicator of effort and ability. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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