Mindsets of poverty: Implications for redistributive policy support

Belief systems impact poverty reduction efforts, as they can enhance, or diminish, support for redistributive economic policies. We examined the predictive utility of mindsets about the changeability (growth mindsets) or the stability (fixed mindsets) of the nature of poverty in society. We conducte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Analyses of social issues and public policy 2023-12, Vol.23 (3), p.668-693
Main Authors: Hoyt, Crystal L., Burnette, Jeni L., Billingsley, Joseph, Becker, Whitney, Babij, Alexandra D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beliefs
Economic policy
Essentialism
Poverty
Social classes
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Summary:Belief systems impact poverty reduction efforts, as they can enhance, or diminish, support for redistributive economic policies. We examined the predictive utility of mindsets about the changeability (growth mindsets) or the stability (fixed mindsets) of the nature of poverty in society. We conducted six studies, two pre‐registered, using both cross‐sectional (N = 763) and experimental methods (N = 1361). Growth mindsets of poverty in society predicted greater support for redistributive policies, in part through decreased blame, although there was also a small but unreliable negative indirect effect through social class essentialism. The three experimental studies, each using a different approach, were successful in manipulating mindsets of poverty. However, only the approach leveraging system justifying beliefs had implications for blame, essentialist beliefs, and indirect consequences for policy support. We discuss potential implications of this work for leveraging multiple belief systems to optimally promote support for policies designed to abolish poverty.
ISSN:1529-7489
1530-2415
DOI:10.1111/asap.12367