迈向橄榄型社会的心理意义：扩大中等收入群体与公平感提升

Objective] Expanding the middle-income group is a strategic priority for forming an olive-shaped society, promoting common prosperity, and achieving Chinese-style modernization. While sociologists and economists have provided numerous social and economic recommendations regarding the expansion of the middle-income group from perspectives such as income, employment, social security, and industrial economy, there has been a lack of research and suggestions from psychologists on the social psychological implications of this expansion and how it can enhance public perceptions of fairness.[Methods] This study integrated social comparison theory and tunnel effect theory, proposing a parallel mechanism involving subjective socioeconomic status (SSES) and upward mobility perception, examining the moderating effects of income and economic development level. Data was sourced from the China General Social Survey (CGSS), covering eight periods from 2010 to 2021 (N = 61,751). Participants ranged in age from 18 to 70, with a mean age of 46.20 13.72. This study combined the annual survey data from the CGSS and utilized provincial data for period simulation. Given that the research model involved both micro and macro variables, a hierarchical linear regression model was employed for analysis, with individual variables treated as level-one variables and provincial variables as level-two variables.[Results] This study found that (1) The proportion of the middle-income group is around 48%; and the proportion of the middle-income group remained relatively stable, expanding the proportion of the middle-income group faces difficulties. (2) Expanding the middle-income group can significantly increase the sense of fairness. (3) Expanding the middle-income group can only enhance the sense of fairness through SSES, and does not significantly predict the perception of upward mobility; the mediating effect of upward mobility perception is not significant. (4) At higher levels of economic development, expanding the middle-income group can enhance the sense of fairness for all groups, while at lower levels of economic development, it can only improve the sense of fairness for higher-income groups, potentially reducing the sense of fairness for lower-income groups. (5) The higher the level of economic development, the more the expansion of the middle-income group can enhance the sense of fairness for higher-income groups through SSES, or enhance the sense of fairness for lower-income groups through the perception of upward mobility and SSES; but will potentially reduce the upward mobility of higher-income groups. (6) The spatiotemporal heterogeneity test indicates that the research results of this paper have a certain degree of robustness and generalizability.[Conclusions] Through empirical research, the study demonstrates that common prosperity should be achieved step-by-step. When the level of economic development is low, equal distribution may fail to create a high sense of fairness; however, when economic development reaches a higher level, greater emphasis should be placed on equitable distribution. Therefore, for contemporary China, it is necessary to promote sustained economic development within the framework of high-quality growth on one hand, and on the other hand, adjusting the income structure becomes more and more crucial. Additionally, attention should be paid to differentiating strategies for enhancing the sense of fairness among different groups of people in varying periods and contexts.