Causal attribution of poverty as a mediator relationship between social axioms and attitude on redistribution policy

Abstract

Causal Attribution of Poverty as a Mediator Relationship Between Social Axioms and Attitude on Redistribution Policy Yuni Nurhamida Psychology Faculty, University of Muhammadiyah Malang y_nurhamida@yahoo.com ABSTRACT This study investigated the relationship between social axioms and redistribution policy attitude with poverty attribution as the mediating variable. As a common principle, social axioms would affect the attribution of poverty that in turn would influence the type of redistribution policy being supported. This study was conducted by means of survey. Study 1 was conducted to find the dimensions of social axioms which may serve as predictors for poverty attribution and attitude regarding redistribution policy. One hundred thirteen people of general public became the research participants. The results showed that the reward for application dimension can be a predictor for internal attribution of poverty and attitude on merit redistribution policy. Meanwhile, religiosity dimension served as a predictor for external poverty attribution and attitude on equality redistribution policy. Next, Study 2 was carried out to examine, first, the role of internal attribution of poverty as a mediator between reward for application and merit redistribution policy attitude, and second, the mediating role of external poverty attribution in the relationship between religiosity and the equality redistribution policy attitude. For this study, two hundred and nineteen people of general public became the research participants. Results in this research showed that reward for application was correlated with the attitude on merit redistribution policy, with internal attribution of poverty as a mediator. Meanwhile, the religiosity dimension was correlated with attitude on equality redistribution policy, either directly or through an external attribution. Keywords: social axioms, poverty attribution, attitude on redistribution policy.