Leaky bucket in the real world: estimating inequality aversion using survey data

Arbeitspapier

Existing evidence of inequality aversion relies on data from class-room experiments where subjects face hypothetical questions. This paper estimates the magnitude of inequality aversion using representative survey data, with questions related to the real-economy situations the respondents face. The results reveal that the magnitude of inequality aversion can be measured in a meaningful way using survey data, but the estimates depend dramatically on the framing of the question. No matter how measured, the revealed inequality aversion predicts opinions on a wide range of questions related to the welfare state, such as the level of taxation, tax progressivity and the structure of unemployment benefits.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: CESifo Working Paper ; No. 2026

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions ; Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
• Subject: Soziale Ungleichheit ; Soziale Gerechtigkeit ; Meinung ; Sozialstaat ; Soziale Wohlfahrtsfunktion ; Test ; Finnland

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Pirttilä, Jukka ; Uusitalo, Roope
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo)
• (where): Munich
• (when): 2007

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/26071
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET