Open AccessHow perceptions of autonomy relate to beliefs about inequality and fairness
Author(s) -
Abraham Aldama,
Cristina Bicchieri,
Jana Freundt,
Barbara A. Mellers,
Ellen Peters
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0244387
Subject(s) - inequality , autonomy , perspective (graphical) , perception , economic inequality , social psychology , social inequality , ideology , demographic economics , psychology , positive economics , economics , political science , politics , mathematics , law , mathematical analysis , geometry , neuroscience
Although inequality in the US has increased since the 1960s, several studies show that Americans underestimate it. Reasons include overreliance on one’s local perspective and ideologically-motivated cognition. We propose a novel mechanism to account for the misperceptions of income inequality. We hypothesize that compared to those who feel less autonomy, the people who believe they are autonomous and have control over their lives also believe that (1) income inequality is lower and (2) income inequality is more acceptable. Using a representative sample of 3,427 Americans, we find evidence to support these hypotheses.