Blocking the Poor: Status Quo Bias in Policy Congruence

ABSTRACT Research on unequal responsiveness has shown that policies tend to align more closely with the preferences of high‐income citizens than low‐income citizens. Using comparative data on opinions and policies, we suggest that this inequality primarily results from status quo bias; asymmetric blocking power drives unequal congruence rather than unequal abilities to achieve policy change. Drawing on data from 43 countries and more than 130 policy issues, we show that high‐income citizens' advantage stems largely from their satisfaction with preserving the status quo, rather than from actively seeking and securing policy change. We suggest that power endures not through dramatic shifts, but through the steady accumulation of small advantages that lock the status quo in place.