Social gaps, perceived inequality and protests

Olivier Bargain, H. Xavier Jara and David Rivera
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Olivier Bargain: BSE - Bordeaux sciences économiques - UB - Université de Bordeaux - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, IUF - Institut universitaire de France - M.E.N.E.S.R. - Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche, IZA - Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit - Institute of Labor Economics
H. Xavier Jara: LSE - London School of Economics and Political Science
David Rivera: BSE - Bordeaux sciences économiques - UB - Université de Bordeaux - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement

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Abstract: Latent feelings of economic vulnerability and social stagnation may have catalyzed the unprecedented uprisings that shook Latin America and other parts of the world in 2018–2019. We document this process in the context of Chile, leveraging survey data on protest participation and its potential determinants. Specifically, we construct a "social gap" index, measuring the disconnect between objective and perceived social status. Our findings suggest that this status misperception predicts protest involvement beyond factors such as perceived living costs, the subjective value of public services, peer influence, redistributive views and political demands. Notably, the social gap operates independently of broader feelings of unfairness and anger toward inequalities in explaining protests.

Keywords: Social status; Perceived inequality; Social gap; Protests (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-03
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Published in World Development, 2026, 199, pp.107248. ⟨10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107248⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05449322

DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107248

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