# Does Distributive Inequality Cause Relational Inequality? Evidence from a Survey Experiment

## TL;DR

This study explores whether income inequality affects how people perceive social and political equality through a survey experiment.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel empirical approach to assess the link between material inequality and relational equality using survey experiments.

## Key findings

- Priming income inequality increases perceptions of unequal social status.
- Material inequality does not affect perceived political equality or the ideal of relational equality.
- The study contributes to methodological debates on using survey data in political theory.

## Abstract

Contemporary egalitarian theory has been shaped by a debate between distributive and relational perspectives. Relational egalitarians argue that equality is primarily about the character of our social and political relationships, rather than the pattern of distribution of goods. But they often also claim that distributive and relational ideals are connected in practice, because material inequality impairs our ability to stand as social and political equals. Using a survey experiment, we assess the impact of material inequality on relational equality. We show that priming income inequality increases perceptions of unequal social status; but it does not affect perceived equal political standing, or the extent to which respondents affirm the ideal of relational equality. We argue that this empirical approach yields deeper payoffs for conceptual and normative questions about relational equality; and it contributes to wider methodological debates about the role of survey data in normative political theory.