The role of ideological and intergroup mechanisms in predicting opposition to redistribution and discrimination against the lower social class

In light of the continuing rise of economic inequality, understanding why even individuals who are concerned about it often still oppose redistributive policies is crucial. This research investigates two mechanisms that may contribute to this phenomenon. Across two studies (N1 = 172; N2 = 232), we find that capitalist ideology strongly predicts opposition to redistributive policies, above SDO as a measure of anti-egalitarianism. This provides support for an ideological perspective whereby opposing redistribution is understood as the result of an endorsement of capitalism with its rejection of government interference in the economy. On the other hand, we did not find support for an intergroup approach whereby, akin to discrimination, opposition to redistribution is understood as a harmful act against its would-be recipients. Classism, referring to negative stereotypes about the lower social class as the beneficiaries of redistribution, predicted only interpersonal discrimination but not support for redistributive policies. We conclude that when it comes to the issue of economic inequality and how to remedy it, the crucial obstacle to redistributive policies appears not to lie in negative perceptions of their recipients but a more fundamental ideological opposition. peerReviewed publishedVersion

鉴于经济不平等现象持续加剧，明晰为何即便对该问题抱有关切的个体仍时常反对再分配政策，这一点至关重要。本研究针对引发这一现象的两种潜在机制展开探究。在两项研究（N₁=172；N₂=232）中，我们发现，相较于作为反平等主义衡量指标的社会支配取向（Social Dominance Orientation, SDO），资本主义意识形态对反对再分配政策的倾向具有更强的预测效力。这一结果为意识形态视角提供了实证支撑：反对再分配政策，本质上是认同资本主义意识形态并反对政府干预经济的体现。与之相对，本研究未发现支持群体间视角的证据——该视角将反对再分配政策视作如同歧视一般，是对其潜在受益者的伤害行为。阶级歧视（Classism），即针对作为再分配政策受益者的下层社会阶层所持有的负面刻板印象，仅能预测人际歧视行为，却无法预测个体对再分配政策的支持倾向。综上，针对经济不平等及其治理路径这一议题，阻碍再分配政策推行的核心障碍，似乎并非源于对政策受益者的负面认知，而是更为深层的意识形态对立。（经同行评审的正式发表版本）