The Effect of Inequality Frames on Redistributive Income Policy Support
13 Pages Posted: 3 May 2012
Date Written: May 2, 2012
Abstract
Although most Americans agree that wealth inequality is a pressing problem, opposition to redistributive income policies remains high, particularly among conservatives. We explore the possibility that this opposition is influenced by how income inequality is discussed: as either the poor making less than the rich or the rich making more than the poor. We find that conservatism predicted opposition to redistributive income policies when participants were told that the poor make less, but that this opposition was attenuated when participants were told that the rich make more. This effect was driven by participants’ attributions for wealth.
Keywords: income inequality, politics
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