Rising inequality: is the public response really lacking? A comparative longitudinal analysis of perceived inequality and evaluative attitudes

Abstract Rising income inequality in the past decades has triggered an ongoing discussion about how the public perceives and evaluates this trend. Contrary to predictions derived from political economy models, one of the most common conclusions is that there is a lack of public response to rising income inequality. Using multilevel hybrid models and five waves of ISSP data, this article re-examines the core question whether the conclusion of a lacking popular response to rising inequality is indeed warranted. Results show that rising inequality is associated with increased perceived inequality, and both rising inequality and perceived inequality foster critical evaluations—that is, lead to greater concern for inequality and support for redistribution—challenging the notion of a lacking popular response to contemporary inequality dynamics. Furthermore, the analyses also underscore the importance of decomposing country-level effects by revealing substantial differences between cross-sectional and longitudinal effects, especially regarding attitudinal differences across income groups.