Egalitarians Are Better At Detecting Inequality — But Only When It Affects Socially Disadvantaged Groups

By Emily Reynolds There is ample evidence that inequality exists — in the UK alone, one study suggested, the richest 1% have a quarter of the country’s wealth, and marginalised groups experience inequality in relation to work, education, living standards, healthcare and more. However, not everyone is attentive to inequality. While some are keenly focused on its causes and its solutions, others believe it’s simply not important, or at the very least that it’s exaggerated. So what determines whether we pay attention to inequality? A new study, published in PNAS, argues that our ideological stance on equality may be key. Unsurprisingly, the team finds that social egalitarians were more likely to notice signs of inequality — but only when it affected certain groups. In the first study, 2,204 participants were shown a series of photographs depicting urban scenes, half of which contained indications of inequality such as wealthy women receiving pedicures or luxury cars. Participants were then asked what they had noticed in the images, with no mention of inequality in the prompt. Finally, they completed a survey that measured their levels of social egalitarianism — that is, how much they prioritise social equality — indicating how much they agreed with statements like “Some groups of people must be kept in their place”.  Those with low levels of social egalitarianism were significantly less likely to specifically mention inequality or t...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Social Source Type: blogs