Economic inequality

Labour economics

Inequality

Engineering

Communication

Neuroscience

Income distribution

Redistribution of income and wealth

Redistribution (election)

Economics

Development economics

Mechanical engineering

Psychology

Mathematics

Politics

Political science

Economic mobility

Demographic economics

Public economics

Work (physics)

Mathematical analysis

Unemployment

Poverty

Economic growth

Social mobility

Perception

Income inequality metrics

Affect (linguistics)

Perspectives on Psychological Science

American politicians often justify income inequality by referencing the opportunities people have to move between economic stations. Though past research has shown associations between income mobility and resistance to wealth redistribution policies, no experimental work has tested whether perceptions of mobility influence tolerance for inequality. In this article, we present a cross-national comparison showing that income mobility is associated with tolerance for inequality and experimental work demonstrating that perceptions of higher mobility directly affect attitudes toward inequality. We find support for both the prospect of upward mobility and the view that peoples' economic station is the product of their own efforts, as mediating mechanisms.

Income Mobility Breeds Tolerance for Income Inequality