Data_Sheet_1_The impacts of COVID-19 on the relationship between perceived economic inequality and political action among socioeconomic classes.docx

Economic inequality qualifies as a structural characteristic leading to political action, albeit this relationship manifests differently across socioeconomic classes. COVID-19 pandemic has amplified existing economic inequalities in ways that increased social tensions and political unrest around the world. This research investigates the effect of COVID-19 personal impacts on the relationship between perceived economic inequality and individuals' political participation. An online survey was administered to an Italian representative sample of 1,446 people (51% women, mean age of 42.42 years, SD = 12.87). The questionnaire assessed the perceived economic inequality, the personal impacts of COVID-19 (i.e., on finance, mental health, and ability to procure resources), and individuals' involvement in political participation. Moderation analyses were conducted separately for different socioeconomic classes (i.e., lower, middle, and upper classes). Results showed that individuals who perceive greater economic inequality, while controlling for perceived wage gap, are more likely to take action, but only if they belong to the higher class. For lower-class individuals, perceiving greater inequality erodes political action. Interaction effects occurred mainly in the middle class and with COVID-19 impacts on resources procurement, which inhibits political action.

经济不平等可视为引发政治行动的结构性特征，不过这一关联在不同社会经济阶层中的表现存在显著差异。新冠疫情（COVID-19 pandemic）加剧了既有的经济不平等状况，进而在全球范围内推升了社会紧张局势与政治动荡。本研究考察了新冠疫情个人冲击对感知经济不平等与个体政治参与二者间关联的调节效应。本研究针对意大利代表性样本开展线上问卷调查，共纳入1446名受访者（女性占比51%，平均年龄42.42岁，标准差（SD）=12.87）。本次问卷评估了感知经济不平等水平、新冠疫情带来的个人冲击（具体涉及财务状况、心理健康与资源获取能力三个维度），以及个体的政治参与行为。研究分别针对不同社会经济阶层（低收入阶层、中等收入阶层与高收入阶层）开展了调节效应分析。结果显示，在控制感知工资差距这一变量的前提下，感知经济不平等程度更高的个体更倾向于采取政治行动，但这一效应仅存在于高收入阶层群体中。而对于低收入阶层个体而言，感知到更高的不平等程度则会削弱其政治参与行为。交互效应主要出现在中等收入阶层，且与新冠疫情对资源获取的负面影响相关，该影响会抑制个体的政治参与行为。