scholarly journals Attitudes towards income inequality: ‘Winners’ versus ‘losers’ of the perceived meritocracy

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karlijn LA Roex ◽  
Tim Huijts ◽  
Inge Sieben
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Social Position ◽  
Or Education ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
Lower Status ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Group Esteem ◽  
International Social

Individuals with a higher social position are more tolerant of current income inequality than individuals with a lower social position. Besides this, attitudes towards income inequality are influenced by inequality-legitimising myths in a given society. Little is known about how these two factors interact. This study combines these two lines of research and argues that different social strata are more polarised in their attitudes towards inequality in societies with strong prevalent meritocratic perceptions. We expect lower-status individuals (i.e. with a lower income or education) to experience a threat to their group esteem and therefore be less likely to support their society’s inequalities in societies with such strong meritocratic perceptions. This hypothesis was tested using data from the International Social Survey Programme 2009 (Social Inequality) on 39 countries. The results show that different social strata are indeed more polarised in their attitudes towards inequality in societies where meritocratic perceptions are more prevalent. Our results are robust for income, but not for education. This suggests that in perceived meritocracies, people regard income as the primary indicator of effort and ability.

European trade union cooperation, union density and employee attitudes to unions

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-358
Author(s):  
Bengt Furåker
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Union Density ◽  
Employee Attitudes ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
European Trade ◽  
Using Data ◽  
International Social

European trade unions have much to gain from cooperating with each other. Such cooperation does exist, but it is still fairly limited and many obstacles need to be overcome if cooperation is to be improved. According to our survey data, higher-level union officials regard differences concerning financial resources and national labour market regulations to be particularly substantial barriers to cooperation. The enormously varying union density across Europe, and its general decrease, also creates barriers. Therefore, employee attitudes to unions are examined using data from the International Social Survey Programme. As expected, union members tend to be more positive about trade unions than non-members. The most interesting finding, however, is that employees in some countries with low union density exhibit fairly positive views or at least views that are not less positive than what we find among employees in many countries with higher density rates. This suggests that there is potential for recruiting members.

Occupation and the Political Economy of Trade: Job Routineness, Offshorability, and Protectionist Sentiment

2017 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 665-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica Owen ◽  
Noel P. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Trade Openness ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Job Tasks ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
Occupational Characteristics ◽  
Advanced Economies ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Trade Preferences ◽  
International Social

AbstractThe recent backlash against globalization in many advanced economies raises questions about the source of this protectionist sentiment. Traditional accounts generally attribute the welfare consequences of trade to skill level or industry characteristics, or instead emphasize the nonmaterial determinants of support for openness. Consequently, we know little about how a major labor market characteristic—occupation—shapes both the distributional consequences of and preferences toward trade openness. We propose and test a new theory of trade policy preferences based on occupation characteristics. Drawing from the tasks literature in economics, we argue that occupation characteristics are a key determinant of how trade affects workers and thus individuals' trade preferences. Our theory suggests that, in advanced economies, individuals in routine-task-intensive occupations will be negatively affected by trade, and thus more protectionist. This relationship will increase in the degree to which occupation job tasks can be provided from a distance (i.e., offshorable). We find support for our theory using data from the 2003 and 2013 International Social Survey Programme in high-income democracies. Our results suggest that the occupational characteristics of routineness and offshorability are important determinants of trade preferences, offering additional understanding of the sources of protectionist sentiment even after controlling for labor market characteristics suggested by conventional wisdom.

scholarly journals Three-Stage Transitional Theory: Egalitarian Gender Attitudes and Housework Share in 24 Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Man-Yee Kan ◽  
Kamila Kolpashnikova
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Transition ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Gender Attitudes ◽  
Second Demographic Transition ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
Using Data ◽  
International Social ◽  
Over Time

How does the association between gender attitudes and housework share vary across countries and time? We examine the second demographic transition as it unmasks in the association between gender attitudes and housework participation. Using data of the 2002 and 2012 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) for 24 countries, we find that the association between gender attitudes and housework share became stronger over time in most countries, signifying that the Second Demographic Transition was in place. The results also show that the association varied across the 24 countries, reaching an equilibrium in many but at different stages. Our findings suggest that equilibria in the domestic division of labour take various forms and paces in the ISSP countries.

National Belonging and Public Support for Multiculturalism

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Sara Wallace Goodman ◽  
Hannah M. Alarian
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Public Support ◽  
National Identities ◽  
Social Solidarity ◽  
National Belonging ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
Using Data ◽  
International Social

Abstract How do views about national identity shape support for multiculturalism? In this paper, we argue that individuals who view national ingroup belonging as “achievable” are more likely to support multiculturalism than individuals who view belonging as “ascriptive.” Using data from the 1995, 2003, and 2013 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) Nationality Identity survey waves across 35 advanced democracies, we find achievable national identities correspond with support for multicultural principles but not for programmatic aspects involving government intervention. Robust analyses reveal these patterns are specific to the content, rather than the strength, of one's national identity. Our findings underline the role of both national belonging and outgroup attitudes on building support for policies of inclusion—and therefore social solidarity—in diverse democracies.

scholarly journals The Paradox of Inequality: Income Inequality and Belief in Meritocracy go Hand in Hand

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Jan Benjamin Mijs
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Popular Belief ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Income Gap ◽  
Family Wealth ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
Worrying Trend ◽  
International Social

Inequality is on the rise: gains have been concentrated with a small elite, while most have seen their fortunes stagnate or fall. Despite what scholars and journalists consider a worrying trend, there is no evidence of growing popular concern about inequality. In fact, research suggests that citizens in unequal societies are less concerned than those in more egalitarian societies. How to make sense of this paradox? I argue that citizens’ consent to inequality is explained by their growing conviction that societal success is reflective of a meritocratic process. Drawing on 25-years of International Social Survey Programme data, I show that rising inequality is legitimated by the popular belief that the income gap is meritocratically deserved: the more unequal a society, the more likely its citizens are to explain success in meritocratic terms, and the less important they deem non-meritocratic factors such as a person’s family wealth and connections.

Religion and aggregate support for redistribution

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mads Meier Jæger
Keyword(s):  
Church Attendance ◽  
Religious Denomination ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Aggregated Data ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
High Share ◽  
International Social

Aggregated data on regions within countries have been used to analyze the effect of religion and religiosity on aggregate support for redistribution. The data are from the International Social Survey Programme and a panel data set was constructed at the level of regions that were observed several times over the period 1985–2010. Empirical analyses show that a higher share of Catholics within a region has a positive effect on aggregate support for redistribution; a higher share of Protestants has a negative effect; religiosity (measured by church attendance) has no effect; and the effect of a religious denomination is non-linear and depends on whether or not it has a weak or a strong presence in a region. It was also found that Scandinavia is unusual in combining a high share of Protestants with high aggregate support for redistribution.

Religion and Happiness

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hout ◽  
Andrew Greeley
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Religious Rituals ◽  
Religious Services ◽  
Using Data ◽  
International Social

This chapter discusses the link between happiness and religion. It draws on meaning-and-belonging theory to deduce that a religious affiliation heightens happiness through participation in collective religious rituals. Attendance and engagement appear key: a merely nominal religious affiliation makes people little happier. Notably, two religious foundations of happiness—affiliation with organized religious groups and attendance at services—have fallen. Softened religious engagement, then, may contribute to the slight downturn in general happiness. In fact, steady happiness is reported among those who participate frequently in religious services, but falling levels among those who are less involved. The chapter also considers the association between religion and happiness outside the United States using data from the International Social Survey Program, an international collaborative survey to which the General Social Survey contributes the American data.

scholarly journals Inequality Perceptions, Preferences Conducive to Redistribution, and the Conditioning Role of Social Position

Societies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Fatke
Keyword(s):  
Social Inequality ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
The Social ◽  
Comprehensive Survey ◽  
Perceptions Of Inequality ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
International Social

Inequality poses one of the biggest challenges of our time. It is not self-correcting in the sense that citizens demand more redistributive measures in light of rising inequality, which recent studies suggest may be due to the fact that citizens’ perceptions of inequality diverge from objective levels. Moreover, it is not the latter, but the former, which are related to preferences conducive to redistribution. However, the nascent literature on inequality perceptions has, so far, not accounted for the role of subjective position in society. The paper advances the argument that the relationship between inequality perceptions and preferences towards redistribution is conditional on the subjective position of respondents. To that end, I analyze comprehensive survey data on inequality perceptions from the social inequality module of the International Social Survey Programme (1992, 1999, and 2009). Results show that inequality perceptions are associated with preferences conducive to redistribution particularly among those perceive to be at the top of the social ladder. Gaining a better understanding of inequality perceptions contributes to comprehending the absence self-correcting inequality.

Klimawandel des Umweltbewusstseins? / Climate Change in Environmental Attitudes?

2004 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Franzen ◽  
Reto Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Attitudes ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
Issue Attention ◽  
International Social

ZusammenfassungIn dem Beitrag werden verschiedene Hypothesen zur Erklärung der Unterschiede und der Entwicklung des Umweltbewusstseins im internationalen Vergleich diskutiert und einem empirischen Test unterzogen. Wir diskutieren die Wohlstandshypothese, die These vom postmaterialistischen Wertewandel, die Globalisierungsthese und die Annahmen zum so genannten „Issue-Attention Cycle“. Diese Hypothesen werden mit Hilfe einer Mehrebenenanalyse an den Daten des International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) 2000 überprüft. Die Ergebnisse stützen vor allem die Wohlstandshypothese. Es zeigt sich, dass das Umweltbewusstsein sowohl vom individuellen Einkommen als auch vom nationalen Wohlstandsniveau abhängt. Zusätzlich weisen auch postmaterialistische Werthaltungen der Befragten neben weiteren soziodemographischen Merkmalen einen engen Zusammenhang zum Umweltbewusstsein auf. Insgesamt ist das Umweltbewusstsein in den meisten Teilnehmerländern des ISSP 2000 im Vergleich zu 1993 leicht gesunken. Staaten, in denen die Bevölkerung über ein hohes Niveau an Umweltbewusstsein verfügt, weisen darüber hinaus eine höhere Ökoeffizienz hinsichtlich ihrer CO

Global Convergence and National Disparities in the Structure of Environmental Attitudes and Their Linkage to Pro-Environmental Behaviours

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-291
Author(s):  
Hui-Ju Kuo ◽  
Yang-chih Fu
Keyword(s):  
Global Convergence ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Environmental Attitudes ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Latent Constructs ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
International Social ◽  
Environmental Behaviours

Although similar environmental issues are present across the globe, residents of different countries vary in the extent to which they are concerned about and act upon these issues. Drawing on data from the 2010 Environment module of the International Social Survey Programme, this study tests the structural comparability of environmental attitudes across 32 countries and examines how pro-environmental behaviours are linked to relevant attitudes. A confirmatory factor analysis from structural equation modelling helps identify three latent constructs of environmental attitudes: willingness to sacrifice, biospheric orientation and environmental scepticism. Further regression analyses reveal that the linkages between pro-environmental behaviours and the constructs of environmental attitudes converge in some countries but are less consistent in others. The findings help pinpoint signs of global convergence and national disparities, which merit more extensive analyses amid the recent surge in the availability of diverse empirical data from around the world.

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