Information about the poor and support for redistributive policies

Abstract

This study examines how information regarding poverty influences support for redistribution. Redistributive policies involve allocating resources to address poverty and inequality. Previous research finds that support for redistributive policies is grounded in attitudes towards government size, social mobility, partisan identity, and political ideology. In this study, we test how information regarding poverty impacts support for redistributive policies. When subjects are given information about the material well-being of those in poverty, we expect to find less support for redistributive policies. On the other hand, when subjects are presented with information about the effect of poverty on the decision-making of those in poverty, we expect to find greater support for redistribution. Using survey experiments with undergraduate subjects from a public university in the southern region of the United States, we find no differences in support for redistributive policies in response to these two types of information.