Perceived position on the social ladder and redistributive preferences – A survey experiment from the Kyrgyz Republic

dc.contributor.authorGassmann, Franziska
dc.contributor.authorTimár, Eszter
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-03T13:20:01Z
dc.date.available2025-04-03T13:20:01Z
dc.date.issued2024-01
dc.description.abstractPrior research has established that both perceived and actual inequality matter for redistributive preferences. Hence, misconceptions can alter public demand for government intervention. Survey experiments have found systematic biases in people's inequality perceptions and found that, in some contexts, the provision of correct information may alter their preferences for redistribution. This literature has, however, centered around high-income, Western nations. This paper uses an experimental survey design to understand the effect of perceived poverty and inequality on the preferences for redistribution in the Kyrgyz Republic. Using primary survey data collected from 2000 households, we first analyze the attitudes of different socio-economic groups towards the poor and the extent to which attitudes predict preferences for redistributive policies. Secondly, we focus on how the perceived socio-economic position influences support for redistribution. Finally, using an experimental survey design, we estimate the effect of correcting misconceptions about individuals' socio-economic position on the support for redistribution. We find that the relationships between poverty attitudes and demand for government redistribution is similar to a high-income, Western context. Overall, demand for redistribution remains robust to new information about the position in the income distribution. The correction of biased perceptions only altered stated preferences for people with specific already-held beliefs.eng
dc.identifier.citationGassmann, F & Timár, E 2024, 'Perceived position on the social ladder and redistributive preferences – A survey experiment from the Kyrgyz Republic', European Journal of Political Economy, vol. 81, 102496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2023.102496
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2023.102496
dc.identifier.issn0176-2680
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/26977
dc.identifier.urlhttp://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85179164179&partnerID=8YFLogxK
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightscc-by
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.source.journaltitleEuropean Journal of Political Economy
dc.subjectCentral asia
dc.subjectPerceived inequality
dc.subjectPoverty attitudes
dc.subjectPreferences for redistribution
dc.subjectSurvey experiment
dc.subjectEconomics and Econometrics
dc.subjectPolitical Science and International Relations
dc.subjectSDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
dc.titlePerceived position on the social ladder and redistributive preferences – A survey experiment from the Kyrgyz Republiceng
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