Different Paths, Diverging Views: The Formation of Inequality Attitudes Through Life Course Social Environments and Family Background

Abstract This article examines how life course social environments and family background influence individuals’ perceptions of inequality and egalitarian beliefs. While previous research has emphasized individual or national factors, this study highlights the meso-level dynamics of social contexts. By analyzing exposure over the life course to different socioeconomic groups within key socializing institutions, such as schools and neighborhoods, we address a gap in the distributive justice literature that often overlooks past environments. Using retrospective survey data from a representative sample of the urban population in Chile and geocoded census information, we estimate the socioeconomic composition of schools attended and neighborhoods inhabited. We construct a typology of life course social environments that identifies individuals according to their predominant exposure to majority-low, mixed, or majority-high SES settings. Our analyses show that, even when controlling for individuals’ ascribed and achieved characteristics, exposure to mixed socioeconomic groups over the life course most strongly heightens perceptions of inequality, while majority-low SES exposure primarily strengthens egalitarian beliefs. Interestingly, while the influence on beliefs is shaped by parental education, the effect of life course social environments on perceptions of inequality remains consistent across groups. Furthermore, individuals from a higher educational family background tend to report greater perceptions of inequality and stronger egalitarian beliefs, with parental education exerting a stronger influence than current social class and other factors. Overall, this study provides new insights into how family origins and social environments across the lifespan shape attitudes towards inequality, emphasizing the importance of considering both past and present conditions. The findings underscore the need for further research on distributive justice that adopts a life course approach.