作者：Yue Zhang, Yi Ding, Xiaona Xie, Yongyu Guo, and Paul A. M. van Lange

Does COVID-19 affect people of all classes equally? In the current research, we focus on the social issue of risk inequality during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a nationwide survey conducted in China (N = 1,137), we predicted and found that compared to higher-class individuals, lower-class participants reported a stronger decline in self-rated health as well as economic well-being due to the COVID-19 outbreak. At the same time, we examined participants’ beliefs regarding the distribution of risks. The results demonstrated that although lower-class individuals were facing higher risks, they expressed lesser belief in such a risk inequality than their higher-class counterparts. This tendency was partly mediated by their stronger endorsement of system-justifying beliefs. The fifindings provide novel evidence of the misperception of risk inequality among the disadvantaged in the context of COVID-19. Implications for science and policy are discussed.

Keywords: COVID-19, misperception, risk inequality, social class, system-justifying beliefs.

下载：Lower class people suffered more (but perceived fewer risk disadvantages) during the COVID-19 pandemic.pdf

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