Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Despite a steep rise in income inequality, Americans’ preferences for redistribution have remained stagnant. Previous research suggests that egalitarian preferences are rooted in stable institutional and cultural contexts, but can change with exposure to information. We investigate the role of understandings of the link between income and psychological well-being in shaping policy preferences. In a large, preregistered online experiment (N=2,751), we examined the effects of three common themes in research: Money Prevents Unhappiness, Money Provides Happiness, and Money Doesn’t Matter. Results show that learning that Money Prevents Unhappiness (versus the other two themes) increased egalitarian preferences. Effects were moderated by political ideology, income, and social class, but not by race. We discuss implications in light of the current cultural discourse about happiness, which often privileges non-income causes and positive emotions.
Source: Social Psychology Quarterly
Authors: Tamkinat Rauf, Jeremy Freese
Institutions: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Stanford University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4385552278