Diversity and Redistributive Preferences: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment in Colombia

Abstract

Does socioeconomic diversity affect individuals' preferences for redistribution? I exploit exogenous variation in exposure to diversity from a large-scale financial aid program that drastically raised the share of low-income students at elite universities in Colombia. I survey students who entered college before and after the policy rollout and show that diversity promoted social interactions among low- and high-income individuals. As a result, high-income students had more accurate perceptions of poverty and inequality and stronger support for redistribution.