Study shows how awareness of inequality drives support for redistributive policies

New research forthcoming in Social Psychological and Personality Science shows that when people understand how income inequality creates disparities in healthcare and education access, they become more likely to support policies addressing economic inequality.

Across four studies, the research shows that highlighting connections between income gaps and inequalities in health and education access decreases acceptance of economic disparities and increase support for redistributive actions.

Research has shown that people often tolerate income inequality. However, our study shows that when people perceive that income inequality spills over into health and education disparities, they are less likely to accept it and more likely to support redistributive policies and collective actions to address it."

Dr. Francisco Miguel Soler-Martínez, lead researcher from Aarhus University

The findings come at a crucial time amid growing global economic disparities. "Despite being a central focus of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, inequality continues to increase globally, with the richest 10% of the population holding around 80% of global wealth, while the poorest half barely owns 2%," notes Dr. Soler-Martínez.

The research reveals a potential pathway for building consensus on addressing inequality. "Simply put, thinking about inequality in a multidimensional way-considering how it affects health and education-can lead to a greater willingness to reduce it," says Dr. Soler-Martínez. "Our key message is that we need to see and understand the connection between income disparities and other inequalities that matter to everyone, such as having good health and access to education."

The researchers emphasize that their findings shouldn't be misinterpreted. "Our research should not be interpreted to suggest that economic inequality is acceptable as long as there are no visible disparities in health or education," cautions Dr. Soler-Martínez. "Economic conditions are one of the most important factors shaping every domain of people's lives."

The study also highlights the self-perpetuating nature of these disparities. "Recognizing the overlap between income disparities and inequality in health and education is also important because it reveals the vicious cycle of inequality," explains Dr. Soler-Martínez. "It is not only that when you are poorer you will have worse health and education. It is also that you will probably have a worse job and salary if you have poor health or low education. Thus, economic inequality persists and perpetuates from one generation to the next."