This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Do you think it's fair that some people are better off financially than others? Does it perhaps matter whether those earnings stem from a lottery win or hard work?
These are the kinds of questions economist Ingvild Almås of the University of Zurich is exploring. She wants to understand why people around the world are willing to accept inequality—and under what conditions they support redistribution, such as through higher taxes on the wealthy. "Inequality is an important global issue.
A key question is how inequality is morally justified in society," says Almås. Her recently published study in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, conducted in collaboration with Norwegian colleagues, shows significant differences among countries in this regard. "People consider varying degrees of inequality to be acceptable and also have different justifications for doing so." The study included 65,000 people from 60 countries, covering 80% of the world's population.
For example, participants were asked to decide whether real workers on an online labor market platform should receive a bonus based on their performance or through a random lottery. The study also examined the extent to which people support the redistribution of wealth—for instance, through higher taxes on the wealthy or other policy measures. The result: On average, the global population is more likely to accept an unequal distribution of wealth if it is based on work rather than pure chance.
This view is particularly strong in Switzerland, for example. "We see a merit-based understanding of fairness primarily in countries with democratic political systems that are richer, more equal and more individualistic," says Almås. Nevertheless, the Swiss population is open to a certain degree of redistribution, particularly in cases where inequality is based on luck.
However, not all countries share the view that prosperity achieved without one's own effort is unfair. There are striking differences: The researchers found a high level of acceptance of luck in non-Western countries such as China and India. The majority of the population in those countries was also opposed to redistributing prosperity gained by chance.
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