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Fairness in a Society of Unequal Opportunities

Author

Listed:
  • Alexander Cappelen

    (NHH Norwegian School of Economics, FAIR The Choice Lab)

  • Yiming Liu

    (HU Berlin, WZB Berlin Social Science Center)

  • Hedda Nielsen

    (HU Berlin)

  • Bertil Tungodden

    (NHH Norwegian School of Economics, FAIR The Choice Lab)

Abstract

Modern societies are characterized by widespread disparities in opportunities, which play a crucial role in creating income inequality. This paper investigates how individuals handle income inequality arising from these unequal opportunities. We report from a large-scale experimental study involving general populations in the United States and Scandinavia, where participants make consequential redistributive decisions as third-party ‘spectators’ for workers who faced unequal opportunities. Our findings provide strong evidence that a significant majority of people are willing to accept inequality caused by unequal opportunities, a position that markedly contrasts with their responses to inequality caused by luck. Two distinct forces drive greater acceptance of inequality under unequal opportunities: the tendency to mistakenly attribute the impact of unequal opportunities to inherent productivity, and the moral relevance attributed to choice differences caused by unequal opportunities. We further demonstrate a clear societal and political divide in responses to unequal opportunities, with Americans and right-wing voters exhibiting a greater acceptance of the resulting inequality, reflecting both differences in fairness views and attribution biases in these populations.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander Cappelen & Yiming Liu & Hedda Nielsen & Bertil Tungodden, 2024. "Fairness in a Society of Unequal Opportunities," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 506, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    • Handle: RePEc:rco:dpaper:506
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

    unequal opportunities; inequality acceptance; attribution bias; fairness views;
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