Economic inequality and conspiracy theories

Jetten, Jolanda; Peters, Kim; Casara, Bruno Gabriel Salvador

doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101358

Cited by 23 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Recent work points to another important aspect of the discourse that accompanied economic inequality: conspiracy theorizing. In particular, there is evidence that the rise in economic inequality has been accompanied by a rise in the prevalence of conspiracy theory narratives (e.g., Casara, Suitner, & Jetten, 2022; Jetten et al, 2022). There is evidence that these narratives can be social impactful.…”

Section: Consequences Of Economic Inequalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

How living in economically unequal societies shapes our minds and our social lives

Peters

Jetten

2023

British J of Psychology

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In recent decades, the economies of many countries have produced increasingly unequal outcomes for the rich and poor. This economic trend has attracted interest from members of the media, public and political classes as well as researchers who are interested in its societal implications. While this research has traditionally been the purview of economists and sociologists, there has been a burgeoning growth in research that has sought to understand the psychology of economic inequality. In this review, we summarize this work, focusing on two major themes: (1) how people perceive the scale of economic inequality and appraise its significance, and (2) how living in an economically unequal environment shapes people's social lives. Together, this work affirms claims that economic inequality is 'the defining issue of our time' (Obama, 2013) with a great deal of destructive potential. We identify important questions that await further research attention.

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Section: Consequences Of Economic Inequalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

How living in economically unequal societies shapes our minds and our social lives

Peters

Jetten

2023

British J of Psychology

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“…Yet, sense of control also offers a useful lens to explore additional outcomes of inequality, especially given its pervasive role in social perceptions and decision-making (e.g., Folkman, 1984; Kraus et al, 2009; Landau et al, 2015). For example, a reduced sense of control increases conspiracy beliefs (Stojanov & Halberstadt, 2020) and illusory perceptions (Whitson & Galinsky, 2008), which provides another pathway for why inequality fosters conspiracy beliefs (Jetten et al, 2022; Salvador Casara et al, 2022). As a more speculative example, a reduced sense of control increases the belief one has enemies who seek to undermine them (Sullivan et al, 2010), which is consistent with arguments that inequality creates worse interpersonal relations and more group divisions in society (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic inequality reduces sense of control and increases the acceptability of self-interested unethical behavior.

To¹,

Wiwad²,

Kouchaki³

2023

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

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Societies worldwide are witnessing higher levels of economic inequality. While prior work has examined ethical judgments toward inequality itself (e.g., “is inequality unethical?”), less is known about how inequality shapes judgments of unethical behavior (e.g., “is unethical behavior more acceptable?”). In two correlational studies, we find that higher objective (Study 1; n = 127,953) and subjective (Study 2; n = 806) inequality is associated with greater acceptability of self-interested unethical behavior. In Studies 3a–6b (total N = 4,851; preregistered), we manipulated perceived inequality and test several mediating pathways. Results point toward the importance of sense of control as a mechanism: Under conditions of high inequality, individuals report a lower sense of control, which increases the acceptability of self-interested unethical behaviors. As a supplement, we also explore associations regarding why high inequality reduces sense of control (reduced perceptions of social mobility) and why sense of control is associated with greater acceptability of unethical behavior (greater situational attributions). Overall, our results suggest inequality changes ethical standards by reducing one’s sense of control, providing evidence for another pathway through which inequality harms societies.

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“…SIT argues that people act to increase the positive identity of their social group (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) using myths to allow poorer groups to accept social injustice (Brown, 2000; Tajfel, 1984). When conditions are created with high economic inequality, participants are more likely to accept conspiracy theories (Jetten et al., 2022). Wealth inequality is maintained through its legitimisation resulting in increased ingroup favouritism (Scheepers, 2017) despite wealthier groups being in less need than others.…”

Section: The Role Of Social Identity In Maintaining Wealth Inequalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

‘How the other half lives’?: Taking a critical approach to the social psychology of economic inequality and extreme wealth

Carr

2023

Social & Personality Psych

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The negative impact of economic inequality on social issues and wellbeing is of importance to social psychology that historically has an interest in social justice. Social Identity Theory is explored as an approach that acknowledges the wider context of social issues. The use of experiments encounters challenges in categorizing wealth and how individuals account for extreme wealth. Mainstream research agendas in psychology are not neutral and draw upon current ideology (such as neoliberalism) that can often maintain inequality. These difficulties are addressed by Critical Social Psychology driven by a social justice agenda that challenges the acceptance of neoliberal values. The application of Critical Social Psychology to wealth inequality is demonstrated with research using UK media data. Critical feminist psychology is discussed to explore the role of class and how to challenge the stigmatization of working-class people. Finally, this paper outlines how Discursive Psychology addresses how extreme wealth and the practices of the super-rich are warranted. A discursive approach questions the acceptance of wealth inequality as an everyday assumption and demonstrates how dominant discourse draws upon individualism. Furthermore, Discursive Psychology has examined how accountability for problematic practices,

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Economic inequality and conspiracy theories

Cited by 23 publications

References 39 publications

How living in economically unequal societies shapes our minds and our social lives

How living in economically unequal societies shapes our minds and our social lives

Economic inequality reduces sense of control and increases the acceptability of self-interested unethical behavior.

‘How the other half lives’?: Taking a critical approach to the social psychology of economic inequality and extreme wealth

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