ICPS

2023 International Convention of Psychological Science · 2023

What Is Enough Money to Live on? Examining Americans’ Estimates of a Living Wage

Brussels, Belgium · March 2023

poster · Social Psychology

  • Megan Burns
    State of Michigan
  • Jun Won Park
    Privately Employed
  • Michael Kraus
    Yale University

Abstract

What is enough to live on? We find that higher-income Americans estimate a monthly living wage near $1,100 higher than those made by lower-income Americans, but these estimates do not translate to support for redistribution because higher-income Americans also believe workers make more than enough to meet basic needs.

Public Policy