How do people evaluate fairness of redistributive policies when redistribution is considered multidimensional? We estimate the effect of distributive policies on the top- and bottom-income groups, as well as the effects of general wealth, social mobility, and origin of wealth on people’s perceived fairness of the policies. Findings reveal that policies that encourage upward social mobility and an increase in general wealth and reward effort and upward mobility are seen as fair. Yet, what is seen as fair or unfair differs substantially across party and income groups. Policies that promote an increase of the status of the wealthiest, and policies that do not change or deteriorate the status of the poorest, generate different fairness perceptions. But there is room for agreement, as policies that make the poorest wealthier, while keeping the status of the wealthiest, are seen as fair by both Democrats and Republicans and among high- and low-income individuals.

This project received financial support from the program Ajuts a projectes de recerca en l’àmbit de la qualitat democràtica (DEMOC, 2016-17), Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan government). Toni Rodon also acknowledges financial support from the EUDEMOS project (ERC-CoG-2017-647835).

Supplemental material files: online appendix; replication files.