People in the United States judge the success of individuals from higher- versus lower-income families as less deserving

This research investigates how deserving people judge the same socioeconomic success when achieved by individuals from higher- versus lower-income families. Seven preregistered experiments demonstrate that people deem the same socioeconomic success as less deserving when the individual comes from a higher-income family. This is because individuals from higher-income families are judged as less self-reliant, even when success is attributed to their effort. This impacts support provision; people prefer to give less support to individuals from higher-income families, even after experiencing the same economic downturn and achieving similar career success. The results highlight the consequences of social class stereotypes and caution against biased support based on family background.

Benedikt Schnurr