Abstract
Is it possible to identify a ‘riches line’, distinguishing the ‘rich’ from the ‘super-rich’? Recent work in political philosophy suggests that this is theoretically possible. This study examines for the first time the empirical plausibility of a riches line, based on novel data collected from a representative sample of the Dutch population. The data reveal that the Dutch indeed draw such a line, namely between 1 and 3 million euros. Strikingly, respondents agree on its approximate location irrespective of their own income and education. Although most do not consider extreme wealth itself a severe problem and object to the government’s enforcement of limits to wealth and income, widespread support exists for increased taxation of the super-rich if that would improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable members of society.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 115–143 |
Number of pages | 29 |
Journal | Social Indicators Research |
Volume | 154 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 25 Nov 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2021 |
Keywords
- Evaluation
- Inequality
- Norms
- Riches
- Super-rich
- Vignettes