Where Does the Money Come From? Humanizing High Socioeconomic Status Groups Undermines Attitudes Toward Redistribution.

Mario Sainz,Miguel Moya,Rosa Rodríguez-Bailón,Rocío Martínez

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00771

Mario Sainz, Miguel Moya + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00771

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Abstract

The concentration of wealth in the hands of a few at the expense of general impoverishment is a major problem in some modern societies. However, there is a general opposition to redistribution policies or to the application of a progressive taxation system. The goal of this research was to explore one factor that might drive the attitudes toward income redistribution: The (de)humanization of high socioeconomic status groups. Previous studies have shown that high socioeconomic status groups tend to be considered as unemotional machines without any concern for others. However, the consequences of mechanizing (vs. humanizing) high socioeconomic status on the interpretation of socioeconomic differences has not been explored yet. We considered that humanizing high socioeconomic status groups might have an unexpected negative effect on attitudes about income inequality and wealth concentration. Specifically, this research aims to determine how humanizing high socioeconomic status groups influences people’s perceptions of the group’s wealth and preferences for income redistribution. We conducted two studies in which we manipulated the humanity (mechanized vs. humanized in terms of their Human Nature traits) of a high socioeconomic status group. Results of these two studies showed that humanizing (vs. mechanizing) high socioeconomic status groups led to lower support for income redistribution/taxation of wealthy groups, through considering that the group’s wealth comes from internal sources (e.g., ambition) rather than external ones (e.g., corruption). These results were independent of the group’s likeability and perceived competence/warmth. The present research provides valuable insight about the possible dark side of humanizing high socioeconomic status groups as a process that could contribute to the maintenance of the status quo and the legitimation of income inequality in our societies.

Highlights

The concentration of wealth in the hands of a few at the expense of general impoverishment is a major problem in some modern societies (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2010)
Participants assigned to the mechanized condition reported that the group described had lower human nature (HN) levels (M = 1.90, SD = 0.98) than did participants assigned to the humanized condition (M = 5.39, SD = 1.34, t(272) = −24.3, p ≤ 0.001, 95% CI [−3.77, −3.21], Hedges’ gs = 2.95), confirming the effectiveness of the manipulation
Results indicated that the wealth of a group described as human vs. mechanized was considered as more legitimate, as it was supposed to originate from internal sources instead of external ones; this led to a lower support for redistributing income policies

Summary

Introduction

The concentration of wealth in the hands of a few at the expense of general impoverishment is a major problem in some modern societies (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2010). Political corruption and wealthy individuals lobbying institutions for their self-interest are some of the major issues that concern citizens around the world (Transparency International, 2016) Despite these social issues’ importance, previous research has mainly focused on analyzing how groups at the bottom of society are perceived, while the perception of groups at the top of the socioeconomic hierarchy or people’s attitudes about wealth concentration of such groups has received much less attention (Bullock et al, 2008). We believe that humanizing those who have more resources may help justify the status quo or reduce support for redistribution policies and that mechanizing high-SES groups might promote a negative perception of the sources of the group’s wealth, which could highlight class divisions in our societies. Due to these consequences’ social relevance, in the present research, we intended to experimentally analyze the influence of humanizing (vs. mechanizing) high-SES groups on the legitimation of the group’s wealth and people’s attitudes toward income redistribution

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