Egalitarian Myths in New Zealand: A review of public opinion data on inequality and redistribution

Economic inequality in developed western countries, including New Zealand, is a pressing social issue. Besides concerns of fairness, current high levels of inequality are associated with a range of socially damaging consequences. Drawing on new and existing data, this article presents a summary and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNew Zealand sociology Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 16 - 43
Main Author Skilling, Peter
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Auckland, N.Z University of Auckland, Sociology, School of Social Sciences 2013
Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand
Subjects
Beliefs
Cost and standard of living
Economic inequality
Economics
Egalitarianism
Equity
Income distribution
Inequality
Methodology
Myth
Myths
New Zealand
Political aspects
Politics
Public Opinion
Questionnaires
Studies
United Kingdom > UK
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Summary:Economic inequality in developed western countries, including New Zealand, is a pressing social issue. Besides concerns of fairness, current high levels of inequality are associated with a range of socially damaging consequences. Drawing on new and existing data, this article presents a summary and an analysis of New Zealanders' beliefs about economic inequality and political redistribution. It explicates and explores some apparent puzzles and paradoxes within the data, including the divergence found between respondents' (declining, but still substantial) level of concern about economic inequality and their (much more limited) support for specific measures that would reduce that inequality. The article discusses some key factors that appear to influence opinion on inequality and redistribution, and it concludes with suggestions for future research to further explore some of the puzzles within the existing data.
Bibliography:New Zealand Sociology, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2013, 16-43
Informit, Melbourne (Vic)
Archived by the National Library of New Zealand
Online ISSN 1173-1036
Includes illustrations, notes, references
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:0112-921X
1173-1036
1173-1036