International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

On the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, October 17, CIS-Iscte shares a recent research highlighting the profound impact of perceived economic inequality on global well-being.

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The study — Mind the Gap: Perceived Economic Inequality and the Well-Being Gap around the Globe — resulted from an international collaboration covering 71 countries, in which researcher Melanie Vauclair (CIS-Iscte) participated. According to the study, individuals’ perceptions of inequality significantly influence their happiness, sense of purpose, harmony, and spirituality — even more so than objective measures like income disparity. Overall, people who viewed their society as more unequal tended to be less happy and reported lower levels of meaning in life, harmony, and spiritual well-being. Simultaneously, they set higher goals for happiness, meaning, and harmony, which broadens the gap between their aspirations and their actual experiences. In other words, perceived economic inequality not only diminishes current well-being but also intensifies the disparity between what people hope to achieve and what they actually experience.

For the research team, these findings underscore the importance of addressing not only actual economic disparities but also perceptions of inequality, which affect psychological health worldwide. As the world strives to eradicate poverty, understanding how perceptions shape well-being offers vital insights for policies aimed at fostering social cohesion and mental health for all.