Riana Brown, The Ohio State University, Assistant Professor, Psychology
Title: Investigating Inequality: Psychological Drivers of Action
Abstract: Group-based inequality persists across a striking number of social identities (e.g., race, social class, sexuality, gender identity) and in many important life domains, such as pernicious disparities in access to healthcare and wealth. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated global income and health disparities, where the richest 10% of the world population now owns 76% of all wealth, and Black U.S. Americans now live five fewer years on average than White U.S. Americans. The present research investigates how people react to such information about social inequality and bias, specifically when it spurs them to action to reduce social inequality in different areas (e.g., race and sexuality/gender identity). My talk presents multiple studies that investigate which domains of disparities (e.g., in health or economics) spark the most engagement on social media and support for inequality reduction efforts (and why). In sum, this work provides insight into people’s complex reactions to social inequalities. As social inequalities continue to persist, the need to understand what psychological underpinnings may drive or impede efforts to pursue greater equity and justice is as urgent as ever.
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