Redistributive preferences: Why actual income is ultimately more important than perceived income
Abstract: An emerging consensus claims that 'subjective' (mis)perceptions of income inequality better explain redistributive preferences than actual 'objective' conditions. In this article, we critically re-assess this view. We compare perceived and actual income positions as predictors for preferences for redistribution. We argue that perceived income is partly endogenous to actual income and its effect on preferences conditional on ideology. Using an original survey experiment from Switzerland, we show that the predictive power of perceived income is lower compared to actual income. Perceived income is only associated with redistribution preferences among centre-right respondents, but not among left-wing respondents. Furthermore, providing respondents with corrective information about their true position in the income hierarchy has no effect on redistribution preferences. These findings go against the new consensus about the superior explanatory power of subjective perceptions of income in
- Location
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Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
- Extent
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Online-Ressource
- Language
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Englisch
- Notes
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Veröffentlichungsversion
begutachtet (peer reviewed)
In: Journal of European Social Policy ; 32 (2021) 2 ; 135-147
- Classification
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Wirtschaft
- Event
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Veröffentlichung
- (where)
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Mannheim
- (who)
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SSOAR, GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften e.V.
- (when)
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2021
- Creator
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Weisstanner, David
Armingeon, Klaus
- DOI
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10.1177/09589287211037912
- URN
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urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-79186-6
- Rights
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Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
- Last update
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25.03.2025, 1:47 PM CET
Data provider
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
Associated
- Weisstanner, David
- Armingeon, Klaus
- SSOAR, GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften e.V.
Time of origin
- 2021
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