Short-video platforms, characterized by algorithmic curation and passive consumption, have emerged as dominant components of digital life. However, the associations between short-video platform use and health across different groups and usage behaviors remain understudied. This study investigates associations between short-video platform use and health, examining whether these relationships vary across health status, usage behaviors, and socioeconomic status. A cross-sectional study was conducted using multistage stratified sampling across eastern, central, and western China from July to September 2024. The inclusion criteria were age 18 years or older, ability to communicate effectively, and no cognitive disorders or mental disturbance. Of 7725 participants enrolled, 46.96% (n=3628) were male, and the average age was 65.49 (SD 8.39) years. The data were collected via face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Self-rated health and relative health deprivation (Kakwani index) were used to measure health. Quantile regression explored associations between whether using short-video platform and health varies across the health distribution, while linear regression examined associations of years, frequency, daily duration, and purpose diversity of short-video platform use with health. Moderating effect analysis explored the role of socioeconomic status in the relationship between the daily duration of use and health. Coefficients were tested using 2-tailed t tests, and statistical significance was defined as a 2-sided P value less than .05. Quantile regression revealed heterogeneous associations. Compared to nonusers, short-video platform users had better self-rated health at the 70th to 90th quantiles and lower relative health deprivation at the 10th to 30th quantiles. However, the users at the 10th quantile of self-rated health had worse self-rated health (β=-2.224, 95% CI -3.835 to -0.613). Longer engagement (≥3 y) correlated with lower relative health deprivation (β=1.970, 95% CI 0.308-3.632), while daily use of 1-4 hours was associated with poorer self-rated health (β=-3.385, 95% CI -4.872 to -1.898; β=-3.038, 95% CI -5.054 to -1.022) and higher relative health deprivation (β=0.035, 95% CI 0.021-0.050; P<.001; β=0.034, 95% CI 0.014-0.054). Compared to no purposeful use, using with 2 purposes was associated with better self-rated health (β=6.082, 95% CI 0.250-11.914) and lower relative health deprivation (β=-0.063, 95% CI -0.120 to -0.005). The association was stronger for use with 3 or more purposes. Socioeconomic status moderated the relationship between daily duration of use and health. This study provides a more specific investigation of how these associations vary across health strata and usage patterns. The findings reveal patterns of benefit and risk across population subgroups, underscoring that how and why individuals engage with platforms matter more than mere access or frequency. These insights necessitate targeted digital well-being policies that protect vulnerable groups, particularly those in poor health or with lower socioeconomic status. Furthermore, policies should actively encourage intentional, functionally grounded use to reduce health inequities and advance equitable digital inclusion.

Problematic gaming is a known risk factor for adolescent well-being. Yet, socioeconomic factors that might contribute to problematic gaming in adolescence have not been fully explored. This study examined the association between relative deprivation, defined as an individual's financial gap relative to their classmates, and problematic gaming in a representative sample of Italian adolescents. We analysed data on family material assets and self-reported symptoms of problematic gaming from 58 881 participants in the 2021/2022 Italian Health Behaviour in school-aged children study. Relative deprivation was measured using the Yitzhaki index, with classmates as a social reference group. Associations with problematic gaming were tested using a two-level multiple logistic regression model while accounting for the effects of economic, sociodemographic and psychological factors. Adolescents reporting higher relative deprivation were eight times more likely to be classified as problematic gamers compared with their better-off peers, after controlling for individual and class-level deprivation, and self-efficacy beliefs. Males, younger adolescents and adolescents with lower self-efficacy were more at risk of being problematic gamers. The current study expands the existing literature on the detrimental impact of inequalities on adolescent behaviours by highlighting the association between relative deprivation and problematic gaming. Policymakers are advised to implement measures to reduce inequalities and mitigate maladaptive gaming patterns among adolescents.

ABSTRACT This article examines the way in which teachers who were also leaders in the unprecedented wave of 2018–2019 US K-12 teacher protest strikes described experiences of social comparison and relative deprivation in their school districts. It also analyses the inequities revealed by these comparisons. This article uses data generated from analyses of 35 semi-structured interviews to reveal that teachers consistently described experiencing relative deprivation to other teachers (near and far) and similarly educated professionals (which they linked to sexist devaluing of the teaching profession). This article is important because it helps to unpack the lived experiences of striking teachers behind the prevalent relative deprivation focused statements on protest signs that were visible around the country during the protest strikes.

Purpose This study investigates how perceptions of social, economic and political inequalities influence tax compliance attitudes in Ghana. It further examines whether trust in government, perceived governance quality, and perceived corruption moderate these relationships. Design/methodology/approach The study utilises data from Round 9 of the Afrobarometer survey, comprising 2,369 respondents in Ghana. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Findings Perceived economic, social and political inequality each significantly reduces tax-compliance attitudes, confirming that fairness concerns strongly shape compliant behaviour. However, the moderating effects differ from theoretical dimensions. Trust in government intensifies, rather than weakens, the negative effect of economic inequality, suggesting that high-trust citizens react more strongly when fairness expectations are violated. Governance quality does not moderate the impact of social inequality, and corruption does not moderate any inequality-compliance pathway. The results indicate that inequality exerts a consistent negative influence on compliance, and institutional factors operate as independent predictors rather than buffers. Research limitations/implications Using only data from Ghana may limit generalisability of the findings, since citizens' perception may differ from objective measures of services, inequality, and corruption across countries. Practical implications The findings highlight that building trust or improving governance quality alone is insufficient when inequality remains salient. Tax administrators should prioritise reducing perceived unfairness through transparent procedures, equitable service delivery, predictable enforcement and meaningful avenues for redress. Strengthening routine governance processes is likely to yield stronger compliance gains than standalone anti-corruption or trust-building campaigns. Originality/value This study contributes novel evidence by showing that institutional trust can amplify the negative effects of inequality and that governance quality and corruption do not condition inequality–compliance relationships as theory predicts. By integrating relative deprivation, fairness and slippery slope perspectives, the study provides a refined understanding of how inequality and institutional contexts jointly shape tax compliance, offering actionable insights for policy and compliance strategies in sub-Saharan Africa.

Internal attribution of poverty and social isolation among the Korean youth: the mediating effect of relative deprivation

Abstract The association between inequality and subjective well-being depends on which aspect of inequality is captured. Objective indicators based on income data, subjective assessments of the income distribution, and normative fairness perceptions each tap into different facets of how inequality is experienced and evaluated. Our paper starts from the hypothesis that perceived income inequality, particularly when it includes a normative fairness component, better explains subjective well-being than objective measures of inequality. Not only do people systematically fail to locate their income position within an objectively observable income distribution, but income inequality underlies a personal assessment regarding the fairness in the processes leading to it. The various factors influencing subjective perceptions of income distribution, including perceived fairness and the perceived possibility of upward mobility ultimately affect well-being outcomes. Using a unique data set from Thailand, we compare objectively measured community-level Gini coefficients with two perceived inequality measures. Based on effect sizes and model fit statistics, the fairness-based perceived inequality measure provides the strongest association with subjective well-being. We explore how perceptions of income distribution, and of mobility opportunities within it, are influenced by broader contextual factors. These perceptions can be associated with distinct emotional responses: when inequality is seen as fair, it may foster optimism and upward aspirations (the tunnel effect); when seen as unfair, it may provoke frustration or resentment (the relative deprivation effect).

India is a rural based country 67 percent of the people residing in rural areas. Traditionally, rural Karnataka was largely agrarian, with agriculture and allied activities forming the backbone of rural livelihoods. Rural youth constitute one of the most dynamic and significant sections of the rural society, playing a vital role in social continuity and economic development. In contemporary Karnataka, rural youths are experiencing rapid changes due to globalization, modernization, technological advancement, and shifting economic structures. These changes have transformed traditional rural life, altering patterns of education, employment, culture, and social relationships. While new opportunities have emerged, rural youths continue to face several structural and social challenges that limit their full participation in development processes. As a result, many rural youths face unemployment or underemployment, forcing them to migrate to urban centres in search of education and jobs. This migration has significant social consequences, including the weakening of family bonds, community networks, and village social institutions. Rural youths are influenced by global media, consumer culture, and urban lifestyles. This exposure often leads to a conflict between traditional values and modern aspirations, Globalization and rapid socio-economic changes have significantly influenced the lives of rural areas. Rural youths are facing multiple challenges arising from structural inequalities such as changing social values ,unemployment and underemployment, decline of traditional agricultural livelihoods, educational and digital disparities, rural-to-urban migration, cultural transformation, gender inequality, stress. exposure to global media and urban lifestyles leading to identity conflicts and weakening of traditional social institutions, lack of quality of education, skill and employment opportunities, participation in modern economic processes. Instability due to a lack of human and financial capital, the digital skill gap, and the erosion of traditional social safety nets etc. After globalization rural-urban migration is uncommon. Exposure to the opulent lifestyles of urban influencers creates a sense of relative deprivation. Due to globalization young men engaged in farming are finding difficult to find partners. Brides and their families often prefer grooms with even low-paying private. Language Barrier from Kannada-medium schooling to English-centric corporate environments remains a primary hurdle for social mobility. Caste, kinship, and the joint family system-are being challenged by global values of individualism and consumerism. The rural youth today is a Global Consumer but a Local Citizen. Globalization promotes individualism, which is slowly dismantling the Joint family system this leading to rural distress. There is values gap between the globalized youth and their traditional parents. This sociological study employs a sociological lens to analyze issues of marginalization, social inequality, and anomie among rural youths. The rural hinterland experiences a corresponding structural transformation and social dislocation.

Well-being is linked to income. However, lower well-being among lower-income individuals may reflect either economic relative deprivation or the lower social status associated with a lower income rank. Here, using Gallup World Poll data from 109 countries and over 90,000 individuals, we test a general model that includes both relative income deprivation and income rank as special cases. In 80% of countries, subjective well-being is more strongly associated with within-nation rank of income than with absolute income or relative income deprivation. Income rank coefficients are over three times larger in the most materialistic countries, but smaller in countries with higher social capital: In countries with the highest civic engagement, the association between income rank and well-being is about 80% smaller. Results replicated in multiple survey years and are consistent with a link between income-related social status and subjective well-being that is stronger when social capital is low.

ABSTRACT This article is a critical inquiry into the dynamics of state governance and protest fragmentation in contemporary China. Drawing on a case analysis of veterans’ activism and evidence from ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2019 and 2024, it argues that three commonly adopted approaches to social governance—localization, categorization, and individualization—systematically fragment veteran constituency and shatter broad-based solidarity. However, each of the three approaches generates unintended consequences. Local governance, which is structurally incapable of resolving national grievances, often provokes cross-regional mobilization; categorized governance, by institutionalizing differential treatment for different veteran subgroups, fuels sustained contention through relative deprivation; and individualized governance encourages transactional activism, whereby veterans extract personal concessions beyond the scope of legitimate grievances. By framing state-society interactions as a dynamic process, this inquiry advances theories of contentious politics and authoritarianism, revealing how the routine operation of social governance can intentionally or unintentionally reshape the landscape of contention it seeks to manage.

Bidirectional longitudinal associations between relative deprivation and short-video addiction among Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of impulsivity control

The collapse of state authority in Libya after the 2011 uprising has produced a chain of security consequences that continue to shape the wider Sahel. This paper examines how the Libyan conflict created conditions that encouraged the spread of terrorist activity across the region, with particular attention to arms proliferation, the movement of foreign fighters and the growth of ungoverned spaces that allow violent groups to operate with relative freedom. The study draws on a qualitative case study design supported by interview material from the wider research, which provides grounded insight into how Libya’s internal fragmentation became linked to regional insecurity rather than remaining a self‑contained crisis. Rather than treating Libya as an isolated arena of state collapse, the paper conceptualises it as a catalytic node within a wider ecosystem of fragile states, porous borders and historically marginalised communities. The analysis is informed by state fragility theory and relative deprivation perspectives. These frameworks help explain how the breakdown of governance structures in Libya interacted with long‑standing political and economic pressures in neighbouring Sahelian states. The argument shows that Libya’s collapse intensified existing vulnerabilities in Mali, Niger and Chad, encouraged the circulation of weapons and fighters, and weakened already fragile border management systems. These developments strengthened the operational reach of armed groups and complicated national and regional attempts to respond to rising insecurity. The paper contributes to regional security research through three main insights. It clarifies the pathways through which local state collapse can generate transnational terrorist dynamics. It demonstrates the value of analysing conflict spillover through a multi‑level lens that links domestic governance failures to regional patterns of violence. It also highlights the limitations of current security responses that treat Sahelian states as discrete units rather than parts of an interconnected security landscape. The study offers a grounded and theoretically informed account of how Libya’s post‑2011 crisis has reshaped security conditions across West and North Africa and points to the need for more coordinated and context‑sensitive regional strategies.

Although historical negation-the ideologically-based denial of the contemporary relevance of colonial injustices-sustains inequities between settler colonisers and Indigenous peoples, few studies explore the psychological processes underlying historical negation among settler colonisers. In this pre-registered study, we examine whether perceived group-based relative deprivation (GRD) fosters historical negation among New Zealand Europeans. To do so, we use seven annual waves of data from a nationwide panel sample of New Zealand European adults (N = 26,759) and random intercept cross-lagged panel modelling to predict within-person changes in historical negation over time. Contrary to our hypotheses, no significant within-person associations emerged between GRD and historical negation. GRD did, however, have a positive between-person association with historical negation among sole-identifying New Zealand Europeans. These results indicate that GRD among settler colonisers correlates with-but does not drive-the minimisation of the present-day relevance of colonial injustices.

Work alienation is an important problem faced by labor dispatch workers, as they are alienated and experience injustice in the present work system. The present research aims to identify the impact of work ostracism and organizational injustice on work alienation, as measured through a research conducted among 601 employees of the financial sector in Shaanxi, China, using a structural equation model. The mediating role of relative deprivation and emotional exhaustion, and the moderating role of psychological resilience, are also explored. The research findings suggest that work ostracism, along with the three dimensions of organizational injustice, sequentially predicts work alienation. The mediating role of relative deprivation and emotional exhaustion is also identified, as both factors sequentially mediate work ostracism, organizational injustice, and work alienation. Additionally, psychological resilience is identified as a moderator that buffers the outcomes of relative deprivation-work alienation and emotional exhaustion-work alienation. Theoretical contribution of the present research is identified as an understanding of work alienation through non-standard employment relationships, mediated through the dynamics of resource depletion. Practical contribution of the present research is identified as multi-fold, as it provides a variety of interventions at different levels to address the problems faced by organizations due to work ostracism, organizational injustice, relative deprivation, emotional exhaustion, and low psychological resilience.

How are subjective perceptions of economic status related to public support for social welfare? I argue that the negative psychological costs associated with perceived relative deprivation lead individuals to prioritize immediate over long-term income gains. Consequently, those who perceive themselves as having low status are less likely to sacrifice a part of their current income to fund welfare policies with long-delayed benefits. I test this argument using two waves of the Life in Transition Survey and two more recent waves of the British Election Survey. In line with my argument, I find that, although a lower sense of subjective economic status correlates with preferences for reducing inequality, the lower individuals place themselves in the economic hierarchy, the less likely they are to support a tax increase to finance spending on education, poverty assistance, and healthcare. While subjective perceptions of low economic status increase demand for equality, they may also limit the government’s ability to redistribute economic resources if citizens are unwilling to share the burden of social welfare. The findings suggest a subjective limit to the scope conditions of welfare state reform and the politics of fiscal solidarity and redistribution.

This study aimed to determine the distribution of socioeconomic deprivation within the Māori and European populations in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1991, 2001, and 2023. NZDep is an index of relative socioeconomic deprivation for small areas based on data from the Census of Population and Dwellings. A socioeconomic deprivation score from 1 (least socioeconomically deprived 10% of small areas) to 10 (most socioeconomically deprived 10%) was assigned to the usually resident population of (1) Māori (defined as Total and Sole) and (2) European (defined as Sole and non‐Māori, non‐Pacific, non‐Asian (nMnPnA)), using the 1991, 2001 and 2023 versions of NZDep. The results showed that the proportion of total Māori living in the least socioeconomically deprived areas increased between 1991 and 2023 from 2.3% to 4.3%, and the proportion of Māori living in the most socioeconomically deprived areas decreased from 27.5% to 24.2%. However, the overall picture shows that Māori continue to live predominantly in areas of high relative socioeconomic deprivation compared with the sole European population. Despite over three decades of social and economic development, there has been minimal progress in addressing relative socioeconomic deprivation among Māori.

India’s rapid economic expansion over the past three decades has positioned the country among the world’s fastest-growing economies. However, this growth has been spatially and socially uneven, producing sharp disparities across regions, income groups, occupations, and social categories. While economic inequality has been extensively studied in terms of income distribution, employment, and poverty, its psychological and mental health consequences remain underexplored. Unequal growth not only shapes material living conditions but also influences psychosocial well-being through insecurity, relative deprivation, social exclusion, and chronic stress. This study develops a conceptual framework integrating economic and psychological perspectives to examine how development disparities affect mental health outcomes in India. Drawing on theories of economic inequality, relative deprivation, stress psychology, and social comparison, the paper highlights the pathways through which uneven development translates into anxiety, depression, distress, and reduced life satisfaction. The study emphasizes regional inequality, labour market informality, urban–rural divides, and access to public services as critical mediating factors. The framework offers implications for inclusive growth strategies, mental health policy, and regional development planning, arguing that economic growth divorced from equity can undermine human well-being and long-term social stability.

This study investigates how sojourners’ global-local identities influence their sustainable behaviors toward local cultural heritage, with a focus on the mediating role of perceived cultural resilience and the moderating effect of relative deprivation. Using a quantitative approach with 352 survey responses from sojourners in Dali, China, the research employs PLS-SEM to test a conceptual model. Results reveal that both global and local identities positively affect perceived cultural resilience, which fully mediates their relationship with sustainable heritage use. Relative deprivation negatively moderates the link between local identity and perceived cultural resilience, indicating that perceived inequities weaken the positive impact of local attachment on resilience perceptions. Notably, global identity’s effect on perceived cultural resilience remains unaffected by relative deprivation, suggesting a “cosmopolitan buffer” against deprivation. The findings contribute to cultural resilience theory in tourism and offer practical insights for heritage management, emphasizing the need for inclusive governance to leverage dual identity pathways for sustainable cultural conservation.

Subjective well-being, relative deprivation and entrepreneurship development

ABSTRACT Relative deprivation hypothesis suggests that inequalities are associated with poor health. Health research also established a relationship between health and financial inclusion. However, the moderating effect of financial inclusion on the deprivation-health nexus has not been given the expected attention in literature. This study therefore investigates the moderating effect of financial inclusion on the deprivation-health nexus in rural Nigeria. Regression analysis reveals that deprivations were associated with health and that formal financial services impact positively on health and deprivation. Thus policies that increase access to formal financial services are likely to deliver significant returns on investment with regards to public health.

Area-level socioeconomic deprivation is a key determinant of health disparities and quality of life. This study aimed to develop and validate the Thailand district-level Socioeconomic Deprivation Index (TSDI)-a nationwide, district-level index to identify deprived areas and their specific deprivation dimensions using national census data. In this methodological cross-sectional study, we constructed the TSDI from a 20% stratified random sample of the 2010 Thai national census (63478990 individuals across 928 districts). Domains and indicators were selected on the basis of a scoping review and theoretical frameworks of relative deprivation. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to create a composite index, which was visualized through choropleth mapping. The TSDI comprises six principal components encompassing 29 indicators, explaining 73.82% of the total variance. The components represent: (1) overall socioeconomic deprivation, (2) housing and assets, (3) demography and family composition, (4) foreign and elementary workers, (5) household crowding and (6) access to tap water. Spatial analysis revealed severe deprivation clusters in the northern, lower northeastern and southern regions, while central (including Bangkok) and eastern coastal areas were less deprived. The TSDI is a novel, validated tool that provides a comprehensive and spatially explicit measure of socioeconomic deprivation in Thailand. It offers critical data for targeting public health interventions, informing resource allocation and investigating the pathways linking social inequality to health and development outcomes.