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The Role of Social Mobility Experience in Zero-Sum Beliefs

Author

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  • Liu, Kelly J.

    (University of Basel)

  • Stutzer, Alois

    (University of Basel)

Abstract

In today's world where growth and capital accumulation are the norm, many people still adhere to zero-sum thinking, the belief that gains for one party can only come at the expense of another party. The perception of economic exchange as zero-sum can lead to excessive competition and uncooperative behavior. We investigate social mobility as a driver of zero-sum beliefs by leveraging worldwide survey data and recently published data on intergenerational educational mobility. We find that a higher probability of experienced downward mobility in an individual's cohort and education group is associated with increased zero-sum beliefs. Consistent with gender-specific status concerns, experienced downward mobility only strengthens zero-sum beliefs for men.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Kelly J. & Stutzer, Alois, 2024. "The Role of Social Mobility Experience in Zero-Sum Beliefs," IZA Discussion Papers 17407, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17407
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Isaak Mengesha & Meiqi Sun & Debraj Roy, 2025. "Cognitive biases shape the evolution of zero-sum norms," Papers 2511.16453, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2026.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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