Abstract

Extreme income inequality and limited social class mobility are among the most pressing social issues of our time. While existing research suggests that subjective perceptions of income inequality may exert a stronger influence on individuals’ lives than objective inequality, relatively little is known about the psychological factors that shape these perceptions. This study aimed to examine whether upward mobility, defined as attaining a higher socioeconomic status than one’s parents, is associated with lower perceptions of income inequality, and whether this association is mediated by essentialist beliefs about social class. Data from two studies conducted in the United States (Study 1: N = 399) and South Korea (Study 2: N = 1,000) showed that individuals with experiences of upward mobility tended to perceive lower levels of income inequality (Studies 1 & 2). Furthermore, this relationship was mediated by weaker essentialist beliefs about social class (Study 2). These findings provide novel psychological insights into how personal mobility experiences shape perceptions of socioeconomic systems and highlight the diverse psychological responses to inequality. Broader theoretical and societal implications are discussed in the General Discussion.