In The Washington Post, Leslie McCall and Jennifer Richeson discuss how exposure to rising inequality shapes Americans’ opportunity beliefs and policy support.
Excerpt:
The sharp growth in economic inequality — and its visibility as an issue in both the 2012 and 2016 American political campaigns — has led to an important debate about how to respond.
Some in this debate suggest that economic inequality isn’t that important after all. Instead, they argue, it’s economic opportunity that Americans really care about. Americans just want good jobs and the prospect of upward mobility. It’s not so important to them that the gap between the wealthy and everyone else continues to grow. Indeed, some Democratic strategists believe that focusing on inequality could backfire.
, , , and suggests, however, that this view is mistaken. When Americans are told about the growth in economic inequality, they become more skeptical that opportunity exists. They also become more supportive of policies that redistribute income and pay.
The results of the study suggest that informing Americans about the extent of economic inequality, or simply making the issue salient, can change attitudes about economic opportunity by foregrounding the role of luck in getting ahead — and that in turn tends to increase support for policies designed to reduce inequality. For this reason, the instinct to focus on economic opportunity instead of inequality seems misplaced. In the minds of Americans, the two can be linked quite readily.
Read the entire Washington Post analysis by Jennifer Richeson.
Related Research:
Exposure to Rising Inequality Shapes Americans’ Opportunity Beliefs and Policy Support