How Brazil’s rich evaluate redistribution and the state

Abstract

Understanding the attitudes of the wealthiest toward inequality and redistribution is essential for explaining the persistence of inequality and the prospects for policy reform. This study examines these attitudes in Brazil, revealing paradoxes in both previous research and public opinion. Drawing on a unique dataset that oversamples the top 5% of the income distribution, we explore how Brazil’s affluent perceive and respond to redistributive policies. Unlike much of the existing literature, our analysis incorpo rates measures of redistributive preferences that explicitly account for perceived costs, avoiding the “free-lunch” assumptions common in earlier studies. The findings show that economic self-interest plays a major role in shaping opposition to redistribution, even among respondents who are highly aware of inequality. Furthermore, distrust in the state’s capacity to redistribute effectively emerges as a key determinant of attitudes toward redistribution. Theoretical implications are discussed, with particular attention to alternative explanatory frameworks emphasizing perceptions of inequality and ideo logical orientations toward affluence