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Pulling up the ladder: Enduring adversity increases opposition to reform.
Michelle Yoosun Kim1, Ayelet Gneezy2, Alex Imas3
1Department of Marketing, CUHK Business School, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 12 Chak Cheung St, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR.
PNAS Nexus
|June 4, 2026
Summary
Individuals who faced hardship tied to achievements may hinder others. This "pulling up the ladder" effect protects their accomplishment
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Common assumption: overcoming adversity increases helping behavior.
- Prior hardship can paradoxically reduce support for others facing similar challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the "pulling up the ladder" effect.
- Identify conditions where prior adversity decreases support for easing obstacles.
- Examine the role of instrumental vs. circumstantial adversity.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of recent immigrants and US-born citizens on immigration policy support.
- Controlled experiments contrasting instrumental and circumstantial adversity.
- Mediation analysis to confirm the mechanism of perceived achievement value.
Main Results:
- Recent immigrants showed less support for easing immigration restrictions.
- Participants with instrumental adversity were less supportive of reducing similar hardships.
- The mechanism involves protecting the perceived value of personal achievements.
Conclusions:
- Instrumental adversity, linked to achievement, can lead to exclusionary attitudes.
- Shared experience does not always motivate support for reform.
- Understanding this effect is crucial for addressing exclusionary attitudes.
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