Framing inequality: How different ways of describing economic inequality shape appraisals of and responses to inequality

不平等可以以各种方式定义。描述可以集中在富人比穷人拥有更多或穷人比富人拥有更少。它可以从收入、财富、生活条件和许多其他方面来界定。重要的是，这种微妙的差异往往在框架问题，因为语言不仅是人类思想和感情的表达，它也影响他们和影响行为。在这个项目中，我们通过解决经济不平等如何转化为心理现实的问题来解决不平等周期框架（ICF）的核心-更具体地说，框架如何塑造个人和集体对不平等的反应，然后反馈到现有的不平等。具体来说，我们认为比较焦点（即，谁与谁比较）影响不平等情况的哪些方面变得突出，从而形成ICF内的进一步相关反应，如合法性评估、政策支持和集体行动（意图）。我们专注于情感的反应和归因的不平等的主要过程连接比较的重点和前面提到的反应的作用。在两个工作包，我们测试我们的假设，通过使用控制实验和内容分析的真实的（公共）话语的经济不平等。在工作包1中，我们测试了解释比较焦点对合法性评估的影响的基本过程（即，假设的情绪反应和归因的中介作用），以及这些合法性评估是否转移到集体行动和支持再分配政策。在工作包2中，我们超越了这些实验方法，并评估了“真实的世界”关于不平等的话语中不同不平等框架的普遍性和假设相关性。更具体地说，我们将在一个代表性调查（RU代表性调查），一个访谈研究（与贝克尔和阿斯布洛克项目一起），并在社会（Twitter）以及在经典（报纸/杂志）媒体框架模式。这使我们能够以一种不引人注目的、生态上有效的方式来测试我们的几个假设。最后，分析公共话语使我们能够在不同的社会环境中解决自然发生的言论。

Inequality can be framed in various ways. Descriptions can focus on the rich having more than the poor or on the poor having less than the rich. It can be framed in terms of income, wealth, living conditions, and in many other ways. Importantly, such often subtle differences in framing matter, because language is not only an expression of human thoughts and feelings, it also influences them and affects behavior. In this project, we address the core of the Inequality Cycle Framework (ICF) by addressing the question how economic inequality translates into psychological reality – more specifically, how framing shapes individual and collective responses to inequality that then feedback into existing inequality. Specifically, we argue that comparison focus (i.e., who is compared to whom) influences which aspects of an unequal situation become salient and therefore shape further responses relevant within the ICF, such as legitimacy appraisals, policy support, and collective action (intentions). We focus on the role of emotional responses to and attributions of inequality as primary processes linking comparison focus and the responses mentioned afore. In two work packages, we test our hypotheses by using both controlled experiments and content analyses of real (public) discourse about economic inequality. In Work Package 1, we test underlying processes explaining the effect of comparison focus on legitimacy appraisals (i.e., the hypothesized mediating role of emotional responses and attributions) as well as whether these legitimacy appraisals transfer into collective action and support for redistribution policies. In Work Package 2, we go beyond these experimental approaches and assess the prevalence and hypothesized correlates of different framings of inequality in “real world” discourse about inequality. More specifically, we will examine patterns of framing in a representative survey (RU representative survey), an interview study (together with Project Becker & Asbrock), and in social (Twitter) as well as in classic (newspapers/magazines) media. This allows us to test several of our hypotheses in an unobtrusive and ecologically valid manner. Finally, analyzing public discourse allows us to address naturally-occurring speech in diverse social settings.