This paper asks whether economic self-interest predicts revealed support for redistribution by examining votes on redistributive ballot initiatives rather than survey responses. Drawing on eight ballot initiatives across six American states, the authors report precinct-level evidence that precinct economic standing is systematically related to votes on redistribution and that class differences vary with local partisan composition.
Data and methods
The study analyzes eight redistributive ballot initiatives across six American states with a total of "73,053 observations of revealed support for redistribution." The authors leverage precinct-level voting returns and measures of precinct economic composition to relate local income profiles to vote outcomes.
Main findings
The authors report consistent precinct-level relationships between income and support for redistribution. They find that "lower- to upper-middle-income precincts are each significantly more supportive of redistribution than upper-income precincts," and that support falls as the share of high-income households affected by proposed tax increases rises. They also note that "the largest class differential in support for redistribution" appears in more heavily Republican precincts.
Key details: revealed preferences, 73,053 observations, lower- to upper-middle-income precincts more supportive, largest class differential in Republican precincts
- Lower- to upper-middle-income precincts show higher support for redistribution than upper-income precincts.
- Support decreases with the increasing prevalence of high-income households subject to tax increases.
- The class gap in support is largest in more heavily Republican precincts.
