Supplementary information files for Redistribution and beliefs about the source of income inequality

Supplementary information for article Redistribution and beliefs about the source of income inequality <br> Previous literature demonstrates that beliefs about the determinants of income inequality play a major role in individual support for income redistribution. This study investigates how people form beliefs regarding the extent to which work versus luck determines income inequality. Specifically, I examine whether people form self-serving beliefs to justify supporting personally advantageous redistributive policies. I use a laboratory experiment where I directly measure beliefs and manipulate the incentives to engage in self-deception. I first replicate earlier results demonstrating that (1) people attribute income inequality to work when they receive a high income and to luck when they receive a low income and (2) their beliefs about the source of income inequality influence their preferences over redistributive policies. However, I do not find that people’s beliefs about the causes of income inequality are further influenced by self-serving motivations based on a desire to justify favorable redistributive policies. I conclude that, in my experiment, self-serving beliefs about the causes of income inequality are driven primarily by overconfidence and self-image concerns and not to justify favorable redistributive policies.

《收入再分配与收入不平等来源认知》论文补充材料<br>既往研究表明，个体对收入不平等决定因素的认知，对其支持收入再分配的态度具有显著影响。本研究聚焦于人们如何形成关于“工作与运气分别在多大程度上决定收入不平等”的认知。具体而言，本研究旨在检验人们是否会形成自利性认知，以合理化自身对有利于自身的再分配政策的支持行为。本研究采用实验室实验法，直接测量被试的认知，并操控其进行自我欺骗的动机。本研究首先复现了既往研究的两项结论：其一，当个体获得高收入时，会将收入不平等归因于工作差异；而获得低收入时，则归因于运气因素；其二，个体对收入不平等来源的认知，会影响其对再分配政策的偏好。然而，本研究未发现，人们为合理化自身支持有利再分配政策的意愿而产生的自利动机，会进一步影响其对收入不平等成因的认知。综上，本实验结果表明，人们关于收入不平等成因的自利性认知，主要由过度自信与自我形象关切驱动，而非为了合理化自身对有利再分配政策的支持。