The Impact Of Attributions For Rich-poor Gap On Redistributive Preferences And Willingness To Donate: The Mediating Effect Of Sense Of Unfairness

Over the past 40 years of reform and opening up,the primary distribution(market distribution)based on the principle of efficiency has completed the task of "making a big cake",and China’s social wealth has increased on a large scale;However,the market emphasizes economic effects and has no compassion.The survival of the fittest has led to the widening gap between the rich and the poor.In the face of the gap between the rich and the poor caused by the primary distribution led by the market,the second distribution(tax and other policies)with the government as the main body and the third distribution(charitable donations,etc.)with citizens as the main body play an important role.Starting from the purpose of promoting the second and third distribution to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor,this study takes redistribution bias and donation intention as dependent variables,and takes the attribution tendency of the gap between the rich and the poor as independent variables to explore how the attribution of the gap between the rich and the poor will affect citizens’ redistribution bias and donation intention,and further explore its influence mechanism.In Study 1,three progressive sub studies,including China comprehensive social survey data(CGSS),questionnaire survey and experimental research,were used to verify the impact of the attribution of the gap between the rich and the poor on redistribution bias and its mechanism.In study 1a,the data of CGSS 2010(n=11783)were used to select the indicators related to variables for analysis;361b questionnaires were used to measure the reliability and validity of the study;The results of studies 1a and 1b show that the attribution of the gap between the rich and the poor can significantly positively predict the redistribution bias,and the sense of unfairness plays an intermediary role.Study 1c(n=160)manipulated the subjects’ attribution tendency of the gap between the rich and the poor through experiments and analyzed their redistribution bias.The results showed that there was no significant difference in redistribution bias between the internal attribution priming group and the external attribution priming group.In Study 2,two sub studies of questionnaire survey and experimental research were used to verify the impact of the attribution of the gap between the rich and the poor on the willingness to donate and its mechanism.In study 2a,a questionnaire was used to conduct a preliminary study,and the relevant scales were selected to measure the attribution of the gap between the rich and the poor,the sense of unfairness and the willingness to donate;Study 2b(n=140)manipulated the subjects’ attribution tendency of the gap between the rich and the poor on the basis of study2 a,and measured their willingness to donate and their sense of unfairness.The results of the questionnaire and experiment show that the attribution of the gap between the rich and the poor has a significant positive impact on the willingness to donate,and the sense of unfairness plays an intermediary role,that is,the psychological path of the attribution of the gap between the rich and the poor → the sense of unfairness → the willingness to donate is established.In conclusion,based on the current severe problem of the gap between the rich and the poor in China,with the purpose of narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor,through two studies(five sub studies),this study found the impact of the attribution of the gap between the rich and the poor on redistribution bias and donation willingness in the context of the gap between the rich and the poor in China,and further revealed its impact mechanism.The research helps to promote the theoretical research and practice of the second and third distribution,so as to narrow the current gap between the rich and the poor and meet the needs of the process of realizing common prosperity.