The Power of Diversity: Class, Networks and Attitudes Towards Inequality

Abstract

We examine how inter-class relationships shape attitudes towards inequality. Our theoretical frame defines attitudes towards inequality as ethical dispositions and hypothesises that class-based network diversity may favour the development of what has been termed a ‘reflexive habitus’ that likely pushes for more egalitarian dispositions. The focus of our enquiry is on Chile – one of the most unequal countries in the world. We use large-scale representative survey data collected in 2016 (N = 2927). Results of our regression analyses indicate that class diversity in social networks strongly increases awareness of inequality and more egalitarian preferences while reducing belief in meritocracy and the perception that the current distribution is fair. Additional analyses suggest that network diversity influences views on inequality to a similar degree among individuals from different social classes, except for meritocratic beliefs, where network diversity especially affects the upper class. We conclude by discussing the importance of reducing socio-economic segregation.