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How perceptions of autonomy relate to beliefs about inequality and fairness
Abraham Aldama1, Cristina Bicchieri2, Jana Freundt1,3
1Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America.
Abstract:
Although inequality in the US has increased since the 1960s, several studies show that Americans underestimate it. Reasons include overreliance on one's local perspective and ideologically-motivated cognition. We propose a novel mechanism to account for the misperceptions of income inequality. We hypothesize that compared to those who feel less autonomy, the people who believe they are autonomous and have control over their lives also believe that (1) income inequality is lower and (2) income inequality is more acceptable. Using a representative sample of 3,427 Americans, we find evidence to support these hypotheses.
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