Can Income Inequality be Associated With Positive Outcomes? Hope Mediates the Positive Inequality–Happiness Link in Rural China

Prior studies on the inequality–happiness link have yielded mixed results and tend to focus on mechanisms that explain the negative effects of inequality. The current study investigated the inequality–happiness link in China and examined hope as a mechanism that explains positive effects of income inequality. Using data from a large sample of 30,255 Chinese respondents, greater inequality was associated with higher life satisfaction in rural...