Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization· 2026Q1
Perceptions of inequality and group-specific public goods
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Informing Indian households they are poorer than perceived does not increase support for reducing inequality, suggesting group-specific social goods buffer perceived economic status.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- 116,061 Indian households surveyed on income perceptions and inequality support.
- Correcting perceptions of household poverty had no effect on support for reducing inequality.
- Support for redistribution may be linked to intra-group resource sharing (religious/social goods).
- Higher supply of group-specific goods correlated with individuals perceiving their household as richer.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
We use data from a survey of 116,061 households in India to study beliefs about inequality. We uncover large differences between where individuals believe their household stands on the income distribution and their actual position. However, informing individuals that their household is poorer than they thought has no discernible effect on support for reducing inequality. We posit that support for reducing inequality may be unresponsive to information because such information disregards the sharing of resources within religious or ethnic groups, in the form of religious and social goods. Households, especially those in the lower rungs of the distribution, benefit from these goods, which may shape their beliefs about inequality and their demand for redistribution. In districts with a greater supply of religious or social goods, we find that the average individual perceives their household as richer. Our findings suggest that group-specific public goods, found in many countries beyond India, deserve greater consideration in studies of inequality.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Demography
DemographySocial Sciences