The Roots of Solidarity: Social Class Identity is Associated with Support for Reducing Inequality

The collective efforts of individuals with the least amount of resources, status, and power in a society can be a powerful tool for reducing inequality. In the current research, we examine the links between identity and support for reducing inequality . Recruiting two online surveys of individuals with objectively low social class standing (i.e., low education, low income) and applying regression analysis, we find that those who subjectively identify as lower (versus higher) social class were more likely to support reducing economic inequality (e.g., support policies that reduce economic inequality; Studies 1 and 2). Additionally, the more central their lower social class was to their identity, the more likely people were to support reducing economic inequality (Study 2). Taken together, these results provide novel support for the importance of social class identity in efforts to reduce economic inequality.