Inequality perception and preferences globally and locally - correlational evidence from a large-scale cross-country survey

Gáspár, Attila and Cervone, Carmen and Durante, Federica and Maass, Anne and Suitner, Caterina and Valtorta, Roberta Rosa and Vezzoli, Michela (2025) Inequality perception and preferences globally and locally - correlational evidence from a large-scale cross-country survey. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC INEQUALITY, 23. pp. 303-326. ISSN 1569-1721

Preview

Text s10888-024-09647-4.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (857kB) | Preview

Abstract

Using a large, representative survey involving 31 countries, we establish stylized facts about the attitudes toward cross-country economic inequality and their correlates. This question has been surprisingly understudied for a topic so important to our globalized 21^{st} 21 st century. We present a simple and intuitive theoretical framework for thinking about cross-country inequalities. Then, we show that people’s perceived and desired levels of domestic inequality and their assessment of their relative socio-economic status closely correlate with how they think about cross-country economic differences. The objective socio-economic status of the individual matters less. Though the impact of country-level variables is less pronounced than individual characteristics, concern about cross-country economic inequality is stronger in more affluent countries and countries with lower income inequality. Our findings illustrate that attitudes toward international economic inequality are intrinsically linked to within-country characteristics, especially to attitudes toward domestic economic inequality.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item