Unveiling Social Policy Preferences in the Face of Inequality

• In Event: Elite Discourse about Inequality and Framing Effects

Abstract

In most liberal democracies, economic inequality levels persist or even rise. And yet, there is no systematic evidence that inequality leads to redistributive policies or public demands for such policies. This leads to a paradox: Most citizens realize that inequality exists and is undesirable, yet little is done about it. This study outlines two experiments seeking to address this paradox. The study introduces novel perspectives by manipulating the causes of inequality to understand when citizens perceive it as problematic and advocate for redistribution.
In the first experiment, respondents are presented with survey vignettes that vary the causes of inequality. This experiment aims to gauge if citizens update their redistributive preferences based on different causal attributions of poverty and wealth (Jessen Hansen, 2022). This approach allows for manipulating fairness perceptions and examining differentiated effects on normative support for redistributive policies.
The second experiment introduces a conjoint analysis, probing respondents to make trade-offs between distinct redistributive policies. This methodological approach, advanced by Häusermann et al. (2019) and Neimanns et al. (2018), facilitates a nuanced exploration of policy priorities in the face of inequality. The focus here is on capturing the perceived deservingness of societal groups, providing a more comprehensive exploration of policy preferences in the face of inequality.
Ultimately, this research seeks to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted dynamics underlying support for redistributive policies by shedding light on the interplay between causal attributions, fairness perceptions, and policy preferences.

Author

• Silke Goubin, KU Leuven