The Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin published a study its June 2023 issue in which researchers discovered that higher levels of economic inequality significantly increase individuals’ desires for wealth and status. This effect, evident across different social classes, stems from varying motivations such as self-improvement concerns among the less affluent, and social comparison concerns among the more affluent.
The concept of economic inequality has long intrigued social scientists. Defined as the unequal distribution of wealth and income, economic inequality has been linked to numerous societal issues, including health disparities, reduced happiness, and lower social cohesion. Prior research has primarily focused on these outcomes while leaving a gap in understanding of how inequality affects individuals’ psychological desires. The present study aimed to bridge this gap, and uses straightforward methods to explore how people from various backgrounds respond to economic inequality.
The goal of the research was to examine the direct effects of economic inequality on peopleʼs desires for wealth and status. Noting a scarcity of direct empirical investigations in this area, the study wanted to unpack the underlying psychological dynamics driving these desires in the face of growing economic disparities. Namely, if these desires vary across social classes, aiming to contribute to the broader discussion on the implications of inequality for individual behavior and societal cohesion.
To tackle these questions, the study employed a two-pronged methodological approach. First, it used experimental designs to manipulate perceptions of inequality among participants, creating scenarios of high and low economic disparity. Across three studies, 142,394 total participants were recruited from Amazonʼs Mechanical Turk.
Through these studies, researchers were able to observe changes in desires for wealth and status in controlled conditions. Additionally, a large-scale correlational analysis of data from 73 countries provided real-world context, examining the relationship between actual economic inequality and individuals’ desires. By combining these methods, the study offered a comprehensive look at the effects of perceived and actual inequality on peopleʼs psychological states across different cultures and societal structures.
The findings revealed a clear pattern: higher economic inequality intensifies the desire for wealth and status across the board. However, the motivations behind these desires differ by social class. For individuals in lower economic brackets, the drive for more wealth and status is rooted in a desire for self-improvement—to overcome the challenges posed by inequality. In contrast, for those in higher economic positions, the pursuit of wealth and status is motivated by the desire to maintain or enhance their social standing relative to others.
These nuanced insights highlight a societal restlessness, where both the affluent and the less affluent feel compelled to seek financial and social advancement, albeit for different reasons.
Still, despite its findings, the study acknowledges certain limitations. The reliance on self-reported measures to assess desires might introduce biases, as participants could respond in ways they perceive as socially desirable or lack complete self-awareness of their motivations. This, and the experimental scenarios, while carefully designed to mimic real-world conditions of inequality, might not fully capture the complexity of individuals’ experiences and responses to actual economic disparities.
Zhechen Wang, Jolanda Jetten, and Niklas Steffens at Fudan University and the University of Queensland authored the present study, titled “Restless in an Unequal World: Economic Inequality Fuels the Desire for Wealth and Status.ˮ