Ungleichheit: Wahrnehmung und Wirklichkeit : ein internationaler Vergleich

Based on a cross-national comparison, there is virtually no empirical relationship between the actual size of income inequality within a country and how critically people view these income differences. This finding is revealed by subjective inequality data on 23 European countries and the US. Instead, views on income distribution can be far better explained by the subjective perception of inequality within a society. Similarly, redistributive preferences are less influenced by actual distribution than by perceived inequality.