A research group from Tokyo University of Science and Princeton University conducted an online survey in the United States and found that overconfident people look to economic unfairness as the reason why their abilities and income do not match. The result was that it did not lead to support for
Support for income redistribution policies is known to vary widely even in countries with similar levels of economic inequality.The research group focused on why people who can enjoy economic benefits oppose income redistribution policies.
About 4,500 people participated in the online survey in the United States.Most of the respondents said their self-evaluation of earning ability did not match the position of their income, and more than half of them thought that their income was lower than their earning ability.In addition, we explored the impact of this overconfidence trait (a perception called the ``negative income-capacity gap'') on preferences for reducing inequality.
As a result, those who perceive a negative income-skills gap attribute this gap to economic injustice rather than to their own low ability, which does not necessarily translate into support for reducing income inequality. was shown.This trend was similar for both the centrist and right-wing demographics.We found suggestive evidence that perceptions of a negative income-ability gap increase support for inequality reduction among left-wing groups, but left-wing groups did not increase their support for government intervention.
Overconfidence is a common trend, and similar results can be obtained in other countries.Clarifying the characteristics of those who support and oppose the correction of inequality is expected to contribute to alleviating social conflict in modern society, where inequality is increasing and polarization is progressing.
Paper information:[European Journal of Political Economy] Overconfidence, income-ability gap, and preferences for income equality
