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The Interaction Relationship Between Socioeconomic Inequality and Fairness Perception

Author(s)

Jinglan Sun

Affiliation(s)

Lucton School Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Abstract

Growing socioeconomic inequality has become one of the defining challenges of contemporary societies, raising concerns not only about material disparities but also about their psychological and political consequences. Understanding how inequality interacts with perceptions of fairness is therefore essential for explaining both individual well-being and collective social stability. This study investigates the relationship between objective inequality and subjective fairness perceptions, with a particular focus on how these factors jointly influence happiness, redistribution preferences, and political participation. Drawing on an extensive literature review and informed by theoretical insights, the research highlights the “stickiness” of fairness perceptions: even when inequality narrows, large segments of the population continue to view distribution as unfair. Methodologically, the study integrates field investigations, structured questionnaires, and a simplified regression model, combining macro-level inequality indicators with micro-level survey data. Results show a robust positive relationship between inequality and perceptions of unfairness, while individual characteristics-such as education, employment status, political orientation, and religious beliefs-exert independent effects. The analysis further demonstrates a dual-path mechanism: inequality directly erodes fairness perceptions at the structural level, while individual socioeconomic status conditions how these disparities are interpreted. Crucially, fairness perceptions themselves influence political behavior, increasing the likelihood of protests, petitions, and expressions of discontent. The findings suggest that policy solutions must extend beyond redistribution to include institutional transparency, equality of opportunity, and mechanisms for enhancing public trust. This research contributes theoretically by integrating structural and individual perspectives on fairness, and practically by offering policy-relevant insights for mitigating inequality and its destabilizing consequences.

Keywords

Socioeconomic Inequality; Fairness Perception; Subjective Well-Being; Redistribution Preferences; Social Mobility; Protest Behavior; Institutional Trust

References

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