Allocation by effort or contribution? Differences in allocation preferences of the wealth-advantaged and wealth-disadvantaged under effort-contribution imbalance

Purpose This study aims to examine how wealth status influences social members’ allocation preferences under an effort-contribution imbalance and explore the underlying mechanism from the perspectives of competence and warmth perception. Design/methodology/approach In three studies, we manipulated participants’ wealth status using the Monopoly game and measured their allocation preferences, as well as their perceptions of competence and warmth, in scenarios with effort-contribution imbalances. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test, hierarchical regression and bootstrapping analysis. Findings Wealth-advantaged individuals preferred contribution-based allocation, whereas wealth-disadvantaged individuals preferred effort-based allocation (Study 1). This preference was driven by the fact that wealth-advantaged (vs wealth-disadvantaged) individuals give more weight to competence (vs warmth), thus preferring contribution-based (effort-based) allocation (Study 2). Allocation preferences also changed when their perceptions of competence and warmth shifted (Study 3). Practical implications These findings offer insights into how social wealth status influences the distribution preferences of social members and provide valuable references for developing allocation strategies and resolving distribution conflicts within society or organizations. Originality/value This study is the first to explore effort-contribution imbalance, reconcile the contradictions in existing studies on effort- and contribution-based allocation and uncover a social cognition mechanism underlying allocation preferences.