Economic Self-Interest and Support for Redistribution: New Evidence Using Election Results Data

A formidable corpus of scholarship explores the role of economic self-interest in shaping public support for redistribution. One striking feature of this literature is its near-exclusive reliance on reported preferences in surveys, with little-to-no research analyzing revealed preferences in the form of actual voting on redistribution. Leveraging eight redistributive ballot initiatives across six American states and a total of 73,053 observations of revealed support for redistribution, we uncover consistent evidence that the economic standing of precinct voters is systematically related to their support for redistribution. We find that lower- to upper-middle-income precincts are each significantly more supportive of redistribution than upper-income precincts, with pronounced decreases in support associated with the increasing prevalence of high-income households subject to proposed tax increases. Finally, we observe the largest class differential in support for redistribution in more heavily Republican precincts.