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

Standort
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
Umfang
Online-Ressource
Sprache
Englisch
Anmerkungen
Veröffentlichungsversion
begutachtet (peer reviewed)
In: Journal of European Social Policy ; 32 (2021) 2 ; 135-147

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft

Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wo)
Mannheim
(wer)
SSOAR, GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften e.V.
(wann)
2021
Urheber
Weisstanner, David
Armingeon, Klaus

DOI
10.1177/09589287211037912
URN
urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-79186-6
Rechteinformation
Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
Letzte Aktualisierung
2025-03-25T13:47:44+0100

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Beteiligte

  • Weisstanner, David
  • Armingeon, Klaus
  • SSOAR, GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften e.V.

Entstanden

  • 2021

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