Recent research conducted at Duke Fuqua sheds light on the prevailing perception among Americans regarding individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES), suggesting that they are commonly perceived as lacking motivation in their pursuit of goals, consequently receiving fewer opportunities.
The study reveals that individuals tend to ascribe goal-oriented attributes primarily to those who are wealthier and occupy higher social status.
“Richer, more educated people are perceived as more motivated in pursuing goals and valuing them,” the researchers explain. “They are somehow seen as possessing an extra humanity.”
Goal valuations
The researchers carried out a series of seven studies to investigate the potential disparities in goal valuation among individuals from varying socioeconomic backgrounds. In the initial study, They enlisted a representative sample of Americans belonging to both high and low social classes.
Participants were then asked to assess the importance they attributed to a predefined set of goals, previously established through extensive research. These goals encompassed areas such as career advancement, personal health, financial stability, self-improvement, familial bonds, leisure, and community engagement.
Upon analyzing the data collected, the results unveiled a notable absence of divergence in goal valuation across different social strata. The study findings did not indicate any significant disparity among individuals from distinct socioeconomic statuses in terms of their prioritization and assessment of the aforementioned goals.
Working class discrimination
“People might think that someone who is working in a less fancy job cares less about making a contribution to their jobs or seeking better health, but we just didn’t see any evidence of that,” the researchers explain. “If anything, people from lower class contexts actually reported caring more about these common goals.”
Following their discovery that Americans across different social classes exhibit similar patterns in goal valuation, the researchers proceeded to examine whether a bias exists regarding the perceived differences in goal valuation among various socioeconomic groups.
Employing a range of methods, the researchers sought to manipulate the perceived class of fictitious individuals in their studies. They employed objective measures such as income and education levels, as well as subtler cues including familial education, musical preferences, attire, Zoom backgrounds, and Twitter feeds.
Diverse backgrounds
Participants were presented with hypothetical individuals embodying diverse socioeconomic statuses, signaled by the aforementioned variables and cues. They were then asked to rate how these individuals valued goals.
According to the researchers, the experiments confirmed the presence of a bias wherein individuals tend to believe that those of higher social class assign greater significance to their goals.
Subsequently, they delved into examining the potential consequences of the perception that individuals of lower social status place lesser value on goals.
Implications for Hiring Practices
The researchers established a hypothetical scenario mimicking a hiring setting, where participants assumed the role of department heads tasked with selecting candidates based on Zoom interviews. The Zoom backgrounds provided glimpses of applicants’ living rooms, featuring cues indicative of their socioeconomic class.
The findings revealed that when all factors such as merit, age, and likability were held equal, participants tended to prefer hiring individuals from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. This preference was rooted in the belief that candidates from such backgrounds would display a greater commitment to their career goals.
Additionally, the scholars examined whether other traits commonly associated with the affluent influenced the results, beyond the bias in goal valuation. Fitzsimons highlights that once again, the attribute of goal valuation emerged as the predominant driver of bias based on social class.
“Past work showed that people think richer people are harder working and more competent,” the researchers explain. “People who want to maintain their beliefs in a system will distort the reality in order to fit their motivations.”
Underlying motivations
The researchers further explored the underlying motivations behind the identified bias, seeking to gain insights into whether it serves to reinforce preconceived notions of societal dynamics. To investigate this, participants were asked to rate their attitudes towards certain worldviews, such as the belief that individuals who encounter misfortune are responsible for their own predicaments.
The findings provided evidence that individuals who hold a belief in the fairness of the world exhibit a bias favoring candidates from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. They perceive individuals of higher social class as placing greater importance on goals and are more inclined to hire or recommend them for employment opportunities.
“Bias seeps through every aspect of business,” the researchers conclude. “Valuing goals implicates humanity, sophistication and complexity. It can give recruiters a sense of how committed job applicants are to their career.”
