How Elastic Are Preferences for Redistribution? Evidence from Randomized Survey Experiments
Ilyana Kuziemko, Michael I. Norton, Emmanuel Saez, Stefanie Stantcheva
American Economic Review · 2015 · Volume 105 · Issue 4
Abstract
We analyze randomized online survey experiments providing interactive, customized information on US income inequality, the link between top income tax rates and economic growth, and the estate tax. The treatment has large effects on views about inequality but only slightly moves tax and transfer policy preferences. An exception is the estate tax—informing respondents of the small share of decedents who pay it doubles support for it. The small effects for all other policies can be partially explained by respondents' low trust in government and a disconnect between concerns about social issues and the public policies meant to address them. (JEL D31, D72, H23, H24)
Keywords
Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions, Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior, Taxation and Subsidies: Externalities, Redistributive Effects, Environmental Taxes and Subsidies, Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies, includes inheritance and gift taxes
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