The importance of material status for electoral chances and perception of politician: delegitimization of wealth as post-transition specificity?

Iwona Świątek , Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska , Jarosław Piotrowski

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 assessed 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 suggest 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.