Redistributive preferences: Why actual income is ultimately more important than perceived income. (May 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Weisstanner, David; Armingeon, Klaus
• Is Part Of: Journal of European social policy. Volume 32:Number 2(2022)
• Page Start: 135
• Page End: 147
• Publication Date: 2022-05
• Subjects: perceptions of inequality -- preferences for redistribution -- survey experiment -- subjective and objective conditions -- ideology; Europe -- Social policy -- Periodicals; Social policy -- Periodicals; European Economic Community countries -- Social policy -- Periodicals; 361.6109405
• DOI: 10.1177/09589287211037912
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0958-9287

Abstract

An emerging consensus claims that 'subjective' (mis)perceptions of income inequality better explain redistributive preferences than actual 'objective' conditions. In this article, we critically re-assess this view. We compare perceived and actual income positions as predictors for preferences for redistribution. We argue that perceived income is partly endogenous to actual income and its effect on preferences conditional on ideology. Using an original survey experiment from Switzerland, we show that the predictive power of perceived income is lower compared to actual income. Perceived income is only associated with redistribution preferences among centre-right respondents, but not among left-wing respondents. Furthermore, providing respondents with corrective information about their true position in the income hierarchy has no effect on redistribution preferences. These findings go against the new consensus about the superior explanatory power of subjective perceptions of income inequality. We argue instead that absolute objective conditions should be at the centre of explaining redistributive preferences.