Neoliberal Ideology and the Justification of Inequality in Capitalist Societies: Why Social and Economic Dimensions of Ideology Are Intertwined

Abstract

In this article we analyze data from high-quality surveys conducted in the United States and the United Kingdom that included multiple symbolic and operational measures of political ideology and psychological orientations. Our overarching goal is to elucidate the nature of conceptual and empirical connections between neoliberalism and social conservatism. In so doing, we revisit three major questions about public opinion in neoliberal societies: (1) Are ordinary citizens "innocent" of ideology? (2) Are social and economic dimensions of ideology structurally and functionally independent? (3) Are support for laissez-faire capitalism and opposition to welfare-hallmarks of neoliberal ideology-unrelated or negatively related to authoritarianism? In contrast to previous investigations relying upon fewer and poorer measures, we found that ordinary citizens do indeed hold coherent political attitudes, and their attitudes about social and economic issues are closely aligned. For instance, we observed that for five previously published

Who is the Neoliberal? Exploring Neoliberal Beliefs across East and West

“…Indeed, Bettache and Chiu (; ) showed that their video measure consistently correlated positively with the endorsement of cohesiveness‐enhancing social norms (e.g., a strict morality or authoritarianism) and conservatism. Moreover, this finding supports Azevedo et al.’s () argument, that economic and social dimensions of ideology are not independent. Individuals who adhere to social conservatism (e.g., tight norms and traditionalism) are likely to embrace neoliberal economics.…”

“…To replicate, extend, and compare the results of Bay‐Cheng et al.’s () research in two Asian contexts, Hong Kong and India, we also used Rotter's () Internal–External (I–E) Control Scale and Ho et al.’s () seven‐question Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) Scale. SDO measures the belief that social hierarchies are natural and justified, which is in line with the neoliberal idea of competition in the free marketplace where success and failure are deemed personal responsibilities and thus the best deserve to be on top and those who fail deserve to be left behind (e.g., Azevedo et al., ; Perez & Salter, ). Hence, we expect SDO to positively relate to neoliberal beliefs across all three cultural contexts (Hypothesis 1a).…”

“…An alternative conception depicts these dispositions as desires for protection from threat or freedom from oppression; leftwing economic views (e.g., social safety net and redistribution) correlate with rightwing social views (e.g., immigration restrictions) in public opinion surveys in most countries studied, because both promise protection from economic and cultural threats (cf. Azevedo, Jost, & Rothmund, ; Malka, Lelkes, & Soto, ). (Only when political discourse and institutions, such as parties and the media, package both rightwing social and economic positions together do the two correlate, as in the United States and some Western European societies.)…”

Mandating Work: A Social Psychological Analysis of Rising Neoliberalism in U.S. Public Assistance Programs

“…A large body of social science research lends insight into the attitudes and beliefs that legitimize harsh work requirements and neoliberal welfare reform, more generally (Azevedo, Jost, Rothmund, & Sterling, ; Bullock & Reppond, ; Rodríguez‐Bailón et al., ). In the United States, a country distinguished by its adherence to rugged individualism and capitalism, welfare recipients are stereotyped as dependent “freeloaders” who violate dominant values by choosing welfare over work (Henry, Reyna, & Weiner, ).…”

“…In the United States, a country distinguished by its adherence to rugged individualism and capitalism, welfare recipients are stereotyped as dependent “freeloaders” who violate dominant values by choosing welfare over work (Henry, Reyna, & Weiner, ). Azevedo and his colleagues () found that endorsement of pro‐capitalist, neoliberal economic attitudes is associated with “general, economic, and gender‐specific forms of system justification” (p. 80). Individualism (i.e., beliefs emphasizing individual responsibility and freedom), meritocratic beliefs (i.e., anyone, regardless of their class background or family of origin, can rise up the socioeconomic ladder through hard work and perseverance), and the Protestant work ethic (i.e., the belief that hard work, deferment of immediate rewards, and frugality will be rewarded with material success), in particular, make neoliberal practices appear “natural” and as a result, they go largely “unchallenged as the default logic for making public policy” (Schram, , p. 311).…”