Exploring the Relationship between Social Fairness, Fairness Types, and Perceived Intergroup Inequality in Korea

This study investigates how perceptions of social fairness and fairness types influence perceptions of intergroup inequality in Korea. Fairness operates across multiple dimensions—distribution, procedure, interaction, and condition—and is shaped by individuals’ social contexts. In a society where structural inequalities persist across generation, gender, class, region, and labor, fairness perceptions play a key role in how people interpret intergroup disparities. Using two waves (2023-2024) of the National Panel Survey on Perceptions of Inequality and Fairness, this study conducts a between-effects panel regression. The results show a consistent negative association between social fairness perception and perceived intergroup inequality across all domains. In addition, respondents endorsing the need-based fairness type reported higher levels of perceived inequality than those favoring equity. Based on these findings, the study discusses implications for social policy.