Downward Competition: How Perceived Economic Proximity Reduces Support for Redistribution to the Poor

How does inducing comparisons to both the poor and the rich shape support for redistribution toward the poor? I argue that when individuals who identify as middle-income perceive economic proximity to the poor alongside distance from the rich, one of two opposing mechanisms is activated: a social affinity mechanism, which increases support for redistribution, or a status and economic competition mechanism, which reduces it. Drawing on two survey experiments in the United Kingdom ( n = 3,470) that induce bidirectional comparisons, as well as observational data from 14 democracies, I find that support for redistribution to the poor is lowest when perceived downward proximity coincides with upward distance. Suggestive evidence shows that economic and status-based competition drive this relationship. Together, these findings advance our understanding of how social comparison processes shape attitudes toward redistribution and offer insights for policy makers when designing redistributive policies.