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Global inequality is one of today’s major challenges. How people mentally represent inequality is often determined by the way it is framed. In the present work, we seek to analyze whether putting the comparative focus on the disadvantaged or on the advantaged group affects legitimacy perceptions of, and action intentions against global inequality. Results of two preliminary studies indicated that global inequality is perceived as less legitimate and action intentions are increased when the disadvantaged group is the grammatical subject of the comparison, but only when the size of the economic inequality is perceived to be large (vs. small). In addition, social emotions mediated the relationship between comparative framing and legitimacy perceptions. Building on these preliminary studies, we present a planned large-scale study in which we aim to replicate these effects and to additionally test whether the strength of individuals’ emotional responses to comparative framing is moderated by different dimensions of justice sensitivity. We will discuss findings with regard to the role of how framing elicits certain mental representations of justice.

In this study, we will examine how framing prize money differences between female and male athletes affects perceptions of the size of prize money differences, fairness, and willingness to do something about it.

In this study, we examine whether it makes a difference to focus on the disadvantaged or the privileged group in economic comparisons. We investigate the effect of comparative framing in the context of temporary and permanent employment. Participants will be either confronted with comparisons that focus on the disadvantaged group (e.g., “temporary workers earn less than permanent workers”) or the advantaged group (e.g., “permanent workers earn more than temporary workers”). In addition, we test whether the size of the wage gap shown (e.g., 40 or 20 percent on average) and being member of either the disadvantaged or advantaged group influence the effect of comparative framing on the perceived legitimacy of inequality and policy support to reduce it.

In this study, we examine whether it makes a difference to focus on the disadvantaged or the privileged group in economic comparisons. We investigate the effect of comparative framing in the context of temporary and permanent employment. Participants are either confronted with comparisons that focus on the disadvantaged group (e.g., “temporary workers earn less than permanent workers”) or vice versa (e.g., “permanent workers earn more than temporary workers”). In addition, we test whether the size of the wage gap shown (e.g., 40 or 20 percent on average) has an impact on the perceived legitimacy of inequality and policy support.

Supplemental material, SP-JLSP-203_SupplementA_B_C_FINAL for One Group’s Advantage or Another Group’s Disadvantage? How Comparative Framing Shapes Explanations of, and Reactions to, Workplace Gender Inequality by Susanne Bruckmüller and Maike Braun in Journal of Language and Social Psychology