The Future of Our Living Together
Tuesday Dialogue Series of the Einstein Center Population Diversity
In the framework of this digital event series, we discuss key questions related to the future of our societies in a circle of experts and interested stakeholders.
You are kindly invited to join our upcoming event:
Why perceptions of social inequality and fairness are often wrong - and why they are important nonetheless
Tuesday, 8 July 2025, 1-2 pm, CEST (Zoom)
(with German-English simultaneous translation)
Prof. Dr. Claudia Diehl
Professor of Microsociology and Co-speaker of the Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality" at the University of Konstanz
Drawing on empirical evidence from Germany, Professor Diehl will present her research on people’s (mis)perceptions of inequality and the implications for greater society. What do people believe is their relative position when it comes to their income? To what degree do they think social mobility is possible? She will also discuss the main factors that shape people’s perceptions of what they believe to be fair or unfair, including people's awareness of unfairness and their aspirations for equality and equal treatment. Professor Diehl will then address the consequences of these perceptions and evaluations, e.g. regarding people’s motivation to seek upward mobility and the extent to which they demand and support wealth redistribution. Lastly, she will suggest ways to rectify the misperceptions that people hold about inequality and fairness.