Perceiving (or Not) the Inequality–Corruption Nexus: Implications for Intentions to Act

Corruption and economic inequality are major societal issues that can mutually reinforce each other. Across three experimental studies conducted in both the UK and Italy (six independent samples; N = 1,109), we examined whether people perceive this inequality–corruption nexus and how such perceptions shape emotional and behavioral responses. In Studies 1a–b, we simultaneously manipulated corruption and inequality to test perceived connections and whether their co-occurrence elicited stronger anger and intentions to act. As no interaction emerged, Studies 2a–b and 3a–b manipulated only one phenomenon at a time to assess whether participants inferred the unmanipulated one, revealing lay models of causality. Across all studies, participants recognized the recursive link between inequality and corruption to a certain extent, and anger consistently predicted intentions to fight these issues. However, corruption was viewed as more concerning: Participants showed more anger when inequality was perceived as the outcome of a corrupt system. Overall, the findings highlight how social psychological processes shape public understanding of intertwined macro-social problems and offer insights relevant for policymakers.