Unpacking the factors influencing preferences for redistribution: The controllability attribution of wealth and poverty

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that attributing wealth and poverty to controllable factors reduces redistribution preferences, but often conflated controllability with internal attributions. This study addresses this limitation by explicitly distinguishing between controllability and internal attributions, clarifying that attributing economic outcomes specifically to controllable rather than internal factors decreases redistribution preferences. It further reveals that perceptions of distributive fairness mediate this effect, with subjective social class moderating the relationship. Study 1 (N = 227) revealed that attributing wealth and poverty to internal and controllable (vs. internal and uncontrollable) factors significantly reduced redistributive preferences by increasing the perceptions of distributive justice. Subjective socio-economic status (SES) moderated the positive effect of attributing wealth and poverty to controllable factors on perceptions of distributive justice. The magnitude of this predictive effect decreased with an increase in an individual's subjective SES. In Study 2 (N = 129), attributions of wealth and poverty were manipulated by changing the allocation principle of rewards (effort vs. extraversion), and the findings of Study 1 were replicated. The findings of our research enhance the understanding of the effects of controllability attributions on redistribution preferences. These findings also offer valuable insights and recommendations for the future development of interventions aimed at promoting individual preferences for redistribution.