Perceived Inequality and the Illusion of Democracy: How Subjective Class Consciousness Fuels Suspicion of Rigged Elections

This study investigates how perceived economic inequality undermines trust in electoral processes by shaping individuals’ subjective class consciousness. While existing research often focuses on objective indicators of inequality, this study emphasizes the political relevance of subjective perceptions. Using cross-national survey data, the analysis demonstrates that individuals who perceive higher levels of inequality are more likely to identify with a lower social class—a self-perception that significantly reduces trust in election outcomes. These findings highlight a psychological mechanism through which inequality erodes democratic legitimacy: not only through material conditions, but through how those conditions are internalized and interpreted. By uncovering this perceptual pathway, this study contributes to debates on democratic resilience and political inequality, offering empirical evidence that the experience of inequality, not just its existence, shapes institutional trust. The results call for greater attention to the symbolic and subjective dimensions of inequality in both scholarship and policy aimed at safeguarding electoral legitimacy.