The Importance of Material Status for Electoral Chances and Perception of Politician: Delegitimization of Wealth as Post-transition Specificity?
IWONA ŚWIĄTEK
iwonaswiatek@poczta.onet.pl
Warsaw Univesity of Social Sciences and Humanities, Chodakowska 19/31, Warszawa, Poland
MAGDALENA ŻEMOJTEL-PIOTROWSKA
psymzp@ug.edu.pl
University of Gdansk, Jana Bażyńskiego 1A, Poland
JAROSŁAW PIOTROWSKI
jpiotrowski@swps.edu.pl
University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poznan Faculty, Poland
Abstract:
In presented research the impact of a politician’s economic status on his/her assessment and electoral chances was tested. In study 1 (N= 90) a politician with a high status was as-sessed as less moral and more competent than a low-status politician. In study 2 (N = 120) participants from Ireland and Poland were compared. Irish participants assessed a low- -status politician as more moral and competent than the high-status one, whereas Polish participants assessed a high-status politician as more competent than the low-status one. Polish subjects generally assessed politicians’ morality lower than the Irish. The results sug-gest higher legitimization of wealth among Polish participants than the Irish, contrary to predictions. These results are discussed in reference to the system justification theory (Jost, Banaji, & Nosek, 2004) and legitimating myths (Jost, & Kay, 2003).
Key words:
legitimating myths, delegitimization of wealth, cross-cultural research
DOI: 10.15503/jecs20132-361-374
