Abstract
This article aims to clarify the latent structure of support for redistribution. To this end, the author analyzed data from the National Survey of Social Stratification and Social Mobility in 2015 (SSM 2015), which was conducted in Japan, using finite mixtures of regression models. The results revealed that the population could be categorized into two latent groups: one that determines preferences for social policies based on self-interest and another that does so based on ideology. Surprisingly, the results also showed that, compared to those who supported redistribution of wealth based on ideology, those who supported them based on self-interest were more likely to hold inconsistent preferences (e.g., simultaneous support for redistribution of wealth and free-market competition). This observation implies that, even when individuals want to determine their policy preferences rationally, they often do not have enough information to correctly assess the influence of each social policy on their self-interest.
Highlights
As Koos and Sachweh [1] pointed out, support for redistribution is not necessarily incompatible with support for free-market competition
It is assumed that a population can be categorized into two groups: one that forms its social policy preferences based on self-interest and another that does so based on ideology, social norms, or the opinions of authorities
One reflects a social mechanism that generates preferences regarding social policies based on self-interest and the other reflects one that does so based on ideology
Summary
As Koos and Sachweh [1] pointed out, support for redistribution is not necessarily incompatible with support for free-market competition. If individuals rationally decide their preferences for social policies based on self-interest, simultaneous support for redistribution of wealth and free-market competition appears contradictory and irrational. It is known that, when immigrants are viewed as competitors for the benefits of such policies, an increase in the number of immigrants has a negative influence on support for them [12,13,14,15]. These observations suggest that individuals tend to determine their preferences for social policies based on self-interest. It can be said that support for redistribution of wealth (and free-market competition) poses a problem for social researchers
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