Visible Reminders Of Inequality Can Raise Support For Taxing The Wealthy

By Emily Reynolds Most of us are aware of the vast inequality that exists in the world — and even if we’re not, exposure to that information can change how we behave. Research has found that we’re more likely to take risks when exposed to inequality and that it can make high-income individuals less likely to be generous. It can also change the way people feel about public policy, as Melissa L. Sands and Daniel de Kadt from the University of California, Merced find in a new study in Nature. They explored real-world inequality in low-income neighbourhoods in South Africa — and found that visible reminders of unequal socioeconomic status can  raise support for taxation of the wealthy. South Africa, like many other countries, has high levels of inequality, largely related to apartheid and colonialism: World Bank figures suggest that the top 1% of earners in South Africa own 71% of assets while the bottom 60% own just 7%. The study itself took place in Soweto, an area which has particularly low socioeconomic status both within the country and within its province, Gauteng. The average annual household income in the seven neighbourhoods in which the study took place is 32,000 rand — half the average annual income for Black South Africans. The methods were simple. Participants were approached by a petitioner, who either asked for support for a policy that would redistribute wealth through higher taxation of the wealthy or for a policy related to renewable en...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Money Source Type: blogs