Unequal chances: ex ante fairness and individual control

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Behavioral Economics
• Sociology

Background:

• Unequal financial outcomes stem from unequal opportunities.
• Perceptions of unequal chances, especially ex ante, are understudied.
• Understanding fairness perceptions of chance distributions is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empirically investigate how different sources of unequal chances shape inequality perceptions.
• To explore fairness evaluations from an ex ante perspective.
• To examine the relationship between perceived control and fairness of chance distributions.

Main Methods:

• Online survey with uninvolved respondents.
• Evaluation of ex ante fairness of unequal chance allocations.
• Variation of inequality sources (socioeconomic, biological, effort-based, etc.).
• Assessment of perceived individual control over chance factors.

Main Results:

• Different sources of unequal chances lead to varied ex ante fairness perceptions.
• Chances based on socioeconomic/biological factors (gender, income, ethnicity) are perceived as less fair than those based on effort, knowledge, or benevolence.
• Perceived control generally correlates positively with fairness, with luck being a notable exception.

Conclusions:

• Ex ante fairness perceptions of unequal chances are source-dependent.
• Societal factors like gender, income, and ethnicity are perceived as unfair bases for unequal chances.
• Perceived control significantly influences fairness judgments, though luck presents a unique case.