关键词: 阶层流动感知, 经济不平等, 心理机制, 社会公平

Abstract: In this review, we focus on the relationship between economic inequality (EI) and perception of class mobility (PCM) and its psychological mechanisms. Perception of class mobility refers to individuals’ subjective judgments regarding the likelihood of the change of individual’s relative rank in a hierarchical society. High and rising EI has led to widespread concern about the attainability of socioeconomic success and upward mobility. Indeed, some evidence has found that PCM decreased significantly when people perceived higher level of EI. However, other researches have showed that EI might promote PCM as well. Specifically, in addition to underestimating and even tolerant the scope of EI, people may also be quite optimistic about the likelihood of moving up the social ladder. Consequently, EI has shown both promotion and suppression effects on PCM. Based on the perspective of social psychology, we describe several psychological mechanisms that are responsible for the relationship between EI and PCM. Firstly, EI may have a suppression effect on PCM due to the attribution of rich-poor gap. Previous research demonstrates that as EI rises, people increasingly attribute rich-poor gap to external factors that are beyond a person's control (vs. internal dispositions), and therefore expect class mobility to drop. Secondly, due to the self-enhancement motive, EI may have a promotion effect on PCM as well. That is, self-enhancement motive may be activated or aroused due to EI, which can lead to a higher level of PCM. Moreover, researchers have also focused on the moderating role of several other psychological factors. Specifically, perceptual bias for EI, stability of EI, social class, system-justifying belief as well as essentialist implicit theories of social class categories may moderate the relation between EI and PCM. The study of the relationship between EI and PCM is in the ascendant, and there are many points for further study. Firstly, the relationship between EI and PCM in China should be clarified. Both concept and measurement of the PCM remain a matter of some debate, which is considered to be one of the reasons for the inconsistency of the conclusion. Furthermore, quantifying the degree of EI will help to explore the relationship between the two variables. Secondly, the mechanisms model of the relationship between EI and PCM need further verification and improvement. Previous researches explored the mediating effect and moderating effect between EI and PCM, however, little is known about the relationship between these mediators and moderators. Moreover, other moderators such as the experience of class mobility should be considered as well. That is, compared to those experienced downward mobility, those who experienced upward mobility may hold more beliefs in class mobility in both high and low economic inequality contexts. Thirdly but not lastly, previous research demonstrated that lower perception of class mobility was negatively associated with both social cohesion and individuals’ behaviors related to socioeconomic success, thus future study should also explore interventions that could minimize the suppression effect of EI on PCM.

Key words: perception of class mobility, economic inequality, mechanism, social fairness