Does Political Mobilization Influence People's Perception of Ideal Income Inequality? Evidence from a Cross-Country Analysis

Global inequality has undergone significant shifts over the last four decades, with declines between countries but substantial increases within many nations. While objective inequality remains a critical concern for policymakers, perceptions of inequality also play an important role, as they influence political preferences and policy outcomes in democratic settings. This study, therefore, aims to explore the determinants of individuals’ perceptions of ideal income inequality, with particular attention to political mobilization as a key driver of such perceptions. Using World Values Survey (WVS) Wave VII data, we applied multilevel mixed-effects ordinal logit models and found that individuals with varying levels of political mobilization differ in their perceptions of ideal income inequality, with country-specific conditions significantly shaping this relationship. Among the eight parameters measuring political mobilization, four in the overall sample suggest that politically mobilized individuals are less likely to support greater income differences. However, this finding varies across country groups. Overall, the study provides empirical evidence on how perceptions of ideal income inequality differ and highlights the role of political mobilization in shaping these perceptions. JEL Codes: D31, D63, P16, D72, C25, C23