The rapid increase of economic inequality is prevalent in many societies,
yet people seem to underestimate actual inequality dramatically. In this study,
we examine whether and how feelings of economic gain affect people’s
perceptions of economic inequality in China, a society with the rapid
development of the economy after China’s reform and opening-up and is now also
facing a high level of economic inequality. Using a large Chinese sample, we
found that individuals with higher feelings of economic gain reported lower
perceptions of economic inequality, and meritocracy beliefs could partially
mediate this effect. These findings highlight the importance of personal
feelings of economic gain in shapes people’s perceptions of economic
inequality.
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