Is Inequality Inevitable? A Survey Experiment on Demand for Redistribution in South Africa

Previous literature has found that providing information about inequality need not lead to higher demand for redistribution. We argue that perceptions on whether inequality can be decreased might provide one of the missing links between information and views about redistribution. If inequality is seen as inevitable, more information may remain inconsequential for policy preferences. We test this idea in a survey experiment in South Africa. The survey includes an information treatment as well as treatments that are intended to affect perceptions of inevitability. We find that information emphasizing the possibility of decreasing inequality has an effect on demand for redistribution.