Wealthier people are more likely to stereotype the poor as lazy

Evidence

While researchers have returned to the study of the functions of attitudes, and to a much lesser extent, of stereotypes (e.g., Herek, 1984, 1986; Shavitt, 1989; Snyder & DeBono, 1989; Snyder & Miene, 1994), ego-justification remains among the least studied of the functions. Nevertheless, there are occasional findings which support Lippmann’s (1922) hypothesis that stereotypes are used by the advantaged as “defenses of [their] position in society” (p. 95). For instance, Ashmore & McConahay (1975) report that the probability of stereotyping poor people as lazy and therefore deserving of their plight is correlated positively with one’s socio-economic status, which suggests that those occupying high positions in society need to justify themselves by derogating others who are less fortunate. It has also been observed that aggressive actors may justify their own behavior through a stereotypic process of “delegitimization” whereby their victims are denied human status, as when soldiers refer to the enemy as “savages” or “‘satanic” (e.g., Bar-Tal, 1989, 1990). — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2884

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to system justification theory and the broader class-based attribution of blame literature; echoes the victim-blaming patterns in the ritual sacrifice/justification material.
• APHORISMS: Implied wisdom about how the advantaged protect their position by derogating the less fortunate — a mechanism worth holding onto.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2884