Perceived income inequality, perceived unfairness and subjective social status in Europe.

This article investigates how perceived income inequality and the perceived unfairness of income distribution relate to individuals' subjective social status, using data from four waves of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) covering 28 European countries and 70,000 respondents. The findings indicate that both higher perceived income inequality and greater perceived unfairness are associated with lower subjective social status, with perceived unfairness exerting a stronger negative effect. Moreover, perceived unfairness moderates the relationship between perceived inequality and subjective social status, intensifying the negative association, especially among individuals with lower income, lower education, and those living in Eastern European countries. These results hold after controlling for objective socioeconomic factors and objective income inequality, highlighting the importance of subjective perceptions in understanding social status evaluations. The study underscores the potential implications of perceived inequality and unfairness for well-being, political attitudes, and social mobility, while noting limitations related to causality and measurement.