The Rich in Public Opinion: What We Think When We Think about Wealth

What do people in the United States and Europe think about the rich? There are several thousand books and articles on stereotypes and prejudices directed a countless different social groups. In contrast, there has only been sporadic research into stereotypes about the rich and no published comprehensive, scientific study on the topic — until now. Negative prejudices and stereotypes have repeatedly been used to justify the exclusion, expulsion, persecution, and murder of minorities who have been scapegoated at times of social crises. The 20th century is full of examples of wealthy people, including capitalists, kulaks, and other groups, who were victims of deadly persecution. These were exceptional situations but, even in moderate forms, prejudice against social groups harms society as a whole — not just the rich—through economic or physical destruction and declining prosperity. In The Rich in Public Opinion: What We Think When We Think about Wealth, historian and sociologist Rainer Zit