Public Opinion and Reactions to Increasing Income Inequality

• In Event: Difference, Solidarity, and Redistribution in Twenty-First Century America

Abstract

As inequality has grown in many of the liberal democracies, a wealth of new research has sought to account for its impact on attitudes about policy and politics. This paper analyzes this literature, focusing on attitudes toward rising top-level incomes. Research has shown that there is little relationship between the growth of inequality and support for redistribution: countries with more inequality do not exhibit greater support for redistribution nor does support for redistribution rise when inequality grows worse. Seeking to understand why inequality has such limited effect on support for redistribution, studies have examined whether inadequate information -- people underestimate the extent of inequality -- is the problem. However, as the paper shows, experimental research reveals that the impact of more accurate information is mixed and depends greatly on the type of information and the conditions under which it is given. Instead, I argue that attitudes about the deservingness of the poor are more important in shaping views about redistribution. In the United States, a large literature on the undeserving poor shows that racial stereotypes lies at the heart of harsh assessments of deservingness. Yet, the paper shows that the United States is not alone in this regard: ethnic and racial divisions lower support for redistribution in Europe as well. Even so, in the United States, longstanding racial stereotypes and strong belief in meritocracy combine in unique ways to limit support for redistribution. If growing inequality challenges racial stereotypes or undermines faith in meritocracy, American views may shift to support more redistribution.

Author

• Kris-Stella Trump, University of Memphis