Public perceptions and attitudes towards wages for essential frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose How informed are people about the wage gap between those at the top and those at the lower end of the wage distribution? We analyse this question in the light of the debate that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic about the importance of essential frontline workers and how these are paid compared to other occupations. Design/methodology/approach The study uses wage data for managers in private and public enterprises in Norway in addition to data on wages for two groups of essential frontline workers: cleaning operatives and nurses. We compared this data with what a sample of Norwegians believe the different occupational groups earn and what they think they ideally should earn. Findings Respondents overestimate the wages of cleaners and nurses, and they think that both groups should be paid more than they actually earn. Respondents also report ideal wage gaps between managers and essential workers that are significantly smaller than the actual wage gap. Originality/value Previous research shows that people on average underestimate actual wage gaps in society and that most people want wage gaps that are far lower than these underestimates. This study adds to this literature by looking at what people know about the pay conditions of essential frontline workers and what they think essential frontline workers ideally should be paid compared to other types of work. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-03-2024-0222