N-equality: Inequality increases with the number of allocation recipients

We examine the equality preferences of resource allocators, finding that a ubiquitous situational factor-the mere number of recipients (N)-shapes the trade-offs these allocators make between their equality concerns and other considerations. Specifically, our studies offer evidence for an N-Equality effect: Third-party allocators become less concerned about inequality as the number of recipients increases. A pilot study illustrates the N-Equality effect with university faculty salaries, showing that the variance in faculty salaries increases with department size. Study 1 offers experimental evidence that allocators facing a trade-off between equality and the distributive principles of efficiency and equity give less weight to equality as the number of recipients increases, and supplemental experiments replicate the effect with different equality-efficiency trade-offs. Study 2 reveals the N-Equality effect in allocators' choice that requires an equality-equity trade-off between low variance and high variance distributions. Studies 3a-c implicate the contribution of social comparison to the N-Equality effect, linking allocators' preferences to their concerns over social comparison among recipients (Studies 3a and 3c) and showing this concern mediates the N-Equality effect (Study 3b). We conclude with implications for inequality research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).