Envy stimulates opposition to income inequality: Envy, self-interest, party politics and inequality attitudes in the US

• In Event: 4467 - Section on Social Psychology Refereed Roundtables (Cosponsored with Section on Sociology of Emotions)
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 7: Class and Status

Abstract

Research question: Why do some people evaluate income inequality as too high whereas others do not? Aside from national context, self-interest, and party loyalty, does personality, specifically envy, matter? Key findings: (1) Envy has a moderately strong relationship with seeing the current income distribution as too unequal (total effect). (2) This effect persists unchanged after taking family background, demographics, and current social class/stratification position into account. (3) It persists when we also control perceived self-interest. (4) Part of the effect is indirect through political party preference, but the direct effect of envy remains moderately important even when party is taken into account. Data and methods: Internet survey using MTurk of the general population; descriptive statistics; factor analysis for scale construction; OLS regression analysis. Theoretical implications: Support for a multi-disciplinary approach to attitude formation theory emphasizing social-psychological as well as sociological and political roots of public opinion and policy-relevant attitudes.

Authors

• M.D.R. Evans, University of Nevada-Reno

• Jonathan Kelley, University of Nevada-Reno