Higher Economic Inequality, Lower Preference for Uncertain Consumption: The Role of Just World Belief and Sense of Control
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63522/jabbs.201017Keywords:
Perceived economic inequality; Preference for uncertain consumption; Belief in a just world; Sense of controlAbstract
With the global craze for the blind box, uncertain consumption as an emerging consumption pattern is gradually entering people’s lives. Uncertain consumption preference refers to individuals’ preference for products, services, and promotional methods that contain uncertainty. Existing research indicates that individual characteristics and product features have an impact on this preference. Given the importance of the external economic environment in the consumption process, this paper focuses on the role of individuals’ perception of economic inequality on their uncertain consumption behavior. Through four studies, this paper finds that perceived economic inequality negatively affects individuals’ uncertain consumption preferences. That is, when individuals perceive a high level of economic inequality in their environment, they are less willing to choose uncertain consumption. This is mainly due to the fact that economic inequality undermines their belief in a just world. Additionally, individuals’ sense of control plays a moderating role in the impact of the belief in a just world on uncertain consumption preferences. Specifically, compared to individuals with a lower sense of control, those with a higher sense of control tend to show a higher level of preference for uncertain consumption as their belief in a just world increases. These findings not only enrich the research on the impact of perceived economic inequality in consumption research but also provide a broader perspective for examining the antecedent variables of uncertain consumption preferences.
References
Akhmad, U. S. M., & Astuti, B. (2026). Consumer behavior and marketing strategies in blind box commerce: A systematic literature review. Equivalent: Journal of Economic, Accounting and Management, 4(1), 431-446. https://doi.org/10.61994/equivalent.v4i1.1554. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61994/equivalent.v4i1.1554
Barreiro, A., Arsenio, W. F., & Wainryb, C. (2019). Adolescents’ conceptions of wealth and societal fairness amid extreme inequality: An argentine sample. Developmental Psychology, 55(3), 498. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000560. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000560
Buechel, E. C., & Li, R. (2023). Mysterious consumption: Preference for horizontal (vs. vertical) uncertainty and the role of surprise. Journal of Consumer Research, 49(6), 987–1013. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucac039. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucac039
Chen, R., & Zheng, Y. (2015). The impact of loneliness on consumer preference of uncertain consumption: New products, product packaging and probabilistic promotions. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 47(8), 1067. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1041.2015.01067. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1041.2015.01067
Cheng, Y., Nudelman, G., Ma, J., & Otto, K. (2024). Belief in a just world and organisational loyalty: Trust as an underlying mechanism. International Journal of Psychology, 59(1), 74–85. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12948. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12948
Choi, H., Burgard, S., Elo, I. T., & Heisler, M. (2015). Are older adults living in more equal counties healthier than older adults living in more unequal counties? A propensity score matching approach. Social Science & Medicine, 141, 82–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.07.020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.07.020
Contreras, D., Elacqua, G., Martinez, M., & Miranda, A. (2015). Income inequality or performance gap? A multilevel study of school violence in 52 countries. Journal of Adolescent Health, 57(5), 545–552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.08.002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.08.002
Cruz, E. L. L., Ong, A. K. S., & Tomas, D. Q. (2025). Analyzing the causal effects of product uncertainty and product appeal on repurchase intention in blind box toys. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), 2506613. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2506613. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2506613
Cutright, K. M., & Samper, A. (2014). Doing it the hard way: How low control drives preferences for high–effort products and services. Journal of Consumer Research, 41(3), 730–745. https://doi.org/10.1086/677314. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/677314
Chang, Y. W. (2026). Unpacking the “uncertainty-revelation” mechanism: How consumer innovativeness motivation and sensation seeking drive blind box consumption intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 92, 104824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104824. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104824
Côté, S., House, J., & Willer, R. (2015). High economic inequality leads higher-income individuals to be less generous. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(52), 15838-15843. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1511536112. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1511536112
Ding, W., & Han, S. (2024). Consumer psychology of mysterious consumption: Embracing uncertainty through a perception of control. Behavioral Sciences, 14(5), 411. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14050411. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14050411
Dahl, D. (2013). Social influence and consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(2), iii–v. https://doi.org/10.1086/670170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/670170
Delhey, J., & Dragolov, G. (2014). Why inequality makes Europeans less happy: The role of distrust, status anxiety, and perceived conflict. European Sociological Review, 30(2), 151–165. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jct033. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jct033
Drechsel–Grau, M., & Schmid, K. D. (2014). Consumption–savings decisions under upward–looking comparisons. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 106, 254–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2014.07.006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2014.07.006
Du, H., Chen, A., Li, Y., Ma, L., Hong, Q., & Nie, Y. (2022). Perceived income inequality increases status seeking among low social class individuals. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 25(1), 52–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12455. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12455
Dalbert, C. (2009). Belief in a just world. In M. R. Leary & R. H. Hoyle (Eds.), Handbook of individual differences in social behavior (pp. 288–297). The Guilford Press.
Fan, L., & Jiang, Y. (2018). Don’t surprise me: How social relationships shape consumers’ attitudes toward probabilistic selling. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 3(3), 440–450. https://doi.org/10.1086/698328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/698328
Fan, Q. (2018). Research on the formation mechanism of individuals’ uncertainty avoidance consumer preferences under the effects of social exclusion[Doctoral dissertation, Jilin University].
Faraji–Rad, A., Melumad, S., & Johar, G. V. (2017). Consumer desire for control as a barrier to new product adoption. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 27(3), 347–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2016.08.002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2016.08.002
Fay, S., & Xie, J. (2008). Probabilistic goods: A creative way of selling products and services. Marketing Science, 27(4), 674–690. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.1070.0318. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.1070.0318
García–Castro, J. D., Willis, G. B., & Rodríguez–Bailón, R. (2019). I know people who can and who cannot: A measure of the perception of economic inequality in everyday life. The Social Sciences Journal, 56(4), 599–608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2018.09.008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2018.09.008
Goya‐Tocchetto, D., & Payne, B. K. (2022). How economic inequality shapes thought and action. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 32(1), 146-161. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1277. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1277
Guo, X., Bian, J., Wu, P., Shi, V., & Chen, H. (2023). Probabilistic product design with regret–anticipated consumers. International Journal of Production Economics, 263, 108917. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2023.108917. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2023.108917
Hadarics, M. (2024). Negative contexts as catalyzers: Belief in a just world enhances political trust via perceived procedural justice, and contextual procedural injustice boosts it. European Journal of Social Psychology, 54(1), 282–297. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.3011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.3011
Hopland, A. O., Matsen, E., & Strøm, B. (2016). Income and choice under risk. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, 12, 55-64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbef.2016.09.001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbef.2016.09.001
Hamerman, E. J., & Johar, G. V. (2013). Conditioned superstition: Desire for control and consumer brand preferences. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(3), 428–443. https://doi.org/10.1086/670762. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/670762
Hafer, C. L., & Begue, L. (2005). Experimental research on just–world theory: problems, developments, and future challenges. Psychological Bulletin, 131(1), 128. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.1.128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.1.128
Hastings, O. P. (2018). Less equal, less trusting? Longitudinal and cross–sectional effects of income inequality on trust in US States, 1973–2012. Social Science Research, 74, 77–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.04.005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.04.005
Hill, K. M., Fombelle, P. W., & Sirianni, N. J. (2016). Shopping under the influence of curiosity: How retailers use mystery to drive purchase motivation. Journal of Business Research, 69(3), 1028–1034. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.08.015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.08.015
Huang, T., & Yu, Y. (2014). Sell probabilistic goods? A behavioral explanation for opaque selling. Marketing Science, 33(5), 743–759. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2014.0851. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2014.0851
Hannay, J. W., Payne, B. K., & Brown-Iannuzzi, J. (2021). Economic inequality and the pursuit of pleasure. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(7), 1254-1263. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506211015049. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506211015049
Janoff–Bulman, R. (1992). Shattered assumptions: Towards a new psychology of trauma. New York: Free Press.
Jami, A. (2019). Having control over and above situations: The influence of elevated viewpoints on risk taking. Journal of Marketing Research, 56(2), 230–244. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243718813544. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243718813544
Kay, A. C., Gaucher, D., Napier, J. L., Callan, M. J., & Laurin, K. (2008). God and the government: testing a compensatory control mechanism for the support of external systems. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.1.18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.1.18
Kim, D. Y., & Park, J. (2010). Cultural differences in risk: The group facilitation effect. Judgment and Decision Making, 5(5), 380–390. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1930297500002187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1930297500002187
Kiral Ucar, G., Donat, M., Bartholomaeus, J., Thomas, K., & Nartova–Bochaver, S. (2022). Belief in a just world, sense of control, perceived risk, and hopelessness during the COVID–19 pandemic: Findings from a globally diverse sample. Current Psychology, 41(12), 8400–8409. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03172-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03172-1
Kirkland, K., Crimston, C. R., Jetten, J., Rudnev, M., Acevedo–Triana, C., Amiot, C. E., Ausmees, L., Baguma, P., Barry, O., & Bastian, B. (2023). Moral expansiveness around the world: The role of societal factors across 36 countries. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 14(3), 305–318. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221101767. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221101767
Kovacheva, A., & Wiener, H. J. (2024). Let’s speculate about it: When and why consumers want to discuss mystery products. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 34(3), 492–501. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1388. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1388
Kurt, D., & Gino, F. (2023). Income inequality and consumer preference for private labels versus national brands. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 51(2), 463–479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-022-00890-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-022-00890-7
Landau, M. J., Kay, A. C., & Whitson, J. A. (2015). Compensatory control and the appeal of a structured world. Psychological Bulletin, 141(3), 694. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038703. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038703
Laran, J., & Tsiros, M. (2013). An investigation of the effectiveness of uncertainty in marketing promotions involving free gifts. Journal of Marketing, 77(2), 112–123. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.11.0255. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.11.0255
Lee, C., Wyllie, J., & Brennan, S. (2025). Eye–opening! Exploring uncertainty marketing through hedonic blind box collectibles. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 82, 104127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.104127. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.104127
Lerner, M. J., & Simmons, C. H. (1966). Lerner, M. J., & Simmons, C. H. (1966). Observer's reaction to the “innocent victim”: Compassion or rejection? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 4(2), 203–210. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0023562. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0023562
Lerner, M. J. (1965). Evaluation of performance as a function of performer’s reward and attractiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(4), 355–360. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0021806. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0021806
Lerner, M. J. (1980). Belief in a just world: A fundamental delusion. New York: Plenum Publishing Corporation. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0448-5
Lerner, M. J. (1998). The two forms of belief in a just world: Some thoughts on why and how people care about justice. In L. Montada & M. J. Lerner (Eds.), Responses to victimizations and belief in a just world (pp. 247–269). Plenum Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6418-5_13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6418-5_13
Lisnek, J. A., Caluori, N., Brown-Iannuzzi, J. L., & Oishi, S. (2025). Investigating how high perceived economic inequality exacerbates intergroup competition, zero-sum beliefs, and perceived intergroup prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 51(10), 1942-1961. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672241234787
Lopes, L. L. (1987). Between hope and fear: The psychology of risk. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology, Vol. 20, pp. 255–295). Academic Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60416-5
Marinucci, M., Riva, P., Lenzi, M., Lasagna, C., Waldeck, D., Tyndall, I., & Volpato, C. (2023). On the lowest rung of the ladder: How social exclusion, perceived economic inequality and stigma increase homeless people’s resignation. British Journal of Social Psychology, 62(4), 1817–1838. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12657. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12657
Mariss, A., Reinhardt, N., & Schindler, S. (2022). The role of just world beliefs in responding to the COVID–19 pandemic. Social Justice Research, 35(2), 188–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-022-00388-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-022-00388-1
Mazar, N., Shampanier, K., & Ariely, D. (2017). When retailing and Las Vegas meet: Probabilistic free price promotions. Management Science, 63(1), 250–266. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.2328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.2328
Min, B., & Schwarz, N. (2022). Novelty as opportunity and risk: a situated cognition analysis of psychological control and novelty seeking. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 32(3), 425–444. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1264. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1264
Moon, A., & Nelson, L. D. (2020). The uncertain value of uncertainty: When consumers are unwilling to pay for what they like. Management Science, 66(10), 4686–4702. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2019.3426. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2019.3426
Oishi, S., Bak, H., & Caluori, N. (2022). Cultural psychology of inequality: Current and future directions. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 25(1), 103–116. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12516. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12516
Lim, X. J., Lim, W. M., & Thaichon, P. (2026). Surprise marketing. Psychology & Marketing, 43(8), 1878-1898. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.70146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.70146
Park, L. E., Jung, H. Y., Lee, K. S., Ward, D. E., Piff, P. K., Whillans, A. V., & Naragon–Gainey, K. (2021). Psychological pathways linking income inequality in adolescence to well–being in adulthood. Self and Identity, 20(8), 982–1014. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2020.1796777. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2020.1796777
Park, J., Kim, D, Y., Zhang, C. (2016). Understanding cross-national differences in risk through a localized cultural perspective. Cross-cultural Research, 50(1), 34-62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069397115609560. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1069397115609560
Payne, B. K., Brown-Iannuzzi, J. L., & Hannay, J. W. (2017). Economic inequality increases risk taking. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(18), 4643-4648. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1616453114. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1616453114
Ryan, M., Muldoon, O. T., Gallagher, S., & Jetten, J. (2021). Physiological stress responses to inequality across income groups in a virtual society. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 51(8), 878–888. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12807. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12807
Pearlin, L. I., & Schooler, C. (1978). The structure of coping. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 19(1), 2–21. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136539. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2136319
Stancato, D. M., Keltner, D., & Chen, S. (2024). The gap between us: Income inequality reduces social affiliation in dyadic interactions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 50(8), 1280–1296. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672231164213. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672231164213
Schmalor, A., & Heine, S. J. (2022). The construct of subjective economic inequality. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 13(1), 210–219. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550621996867. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550621996867
Schuler, E. R., & Boals, A. (2016). Shattering world assumptions: A prospective view of the impact of adverse events on world assumptions. Psychological trauma: theory, research, practice, and policy, 8(3), 259–166. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000073. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000073
Shen, Z., & Ming, Y. (2022). Sweepstakes or contests: The effect of uncertainty type on consumption behavior. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 21(2), 414–426. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2016
Sweet, E. (2010). “If your shoes are raggedy you get talked about”: Symbolic and material dimensions of adolescent social status and health. Social Science & Medicine, 70(12), 2029–2035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.02.032. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.02.032
Sun, J., Wang, Y., Yang, C., Chen, J., Wei, W., Miao, W., ... & Gu, C. (2024). Is there any way to increase consumers’ purchase intention regarding surplus food blind-boxes? An exploratory study. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 103. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01587-y. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01587-y
Weber, E. U., Blais, A. R., & Betz, N. E. (2002). A domain‐specific risk‐attitude scale: Measuring risk perceptions and risk behaviors. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 15(4), 263-290. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.414. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.414
Yang, Y., & Konrath, S. (2023). A systematic review and meta–analysis of the relationship between economic inequality and prosocial behaviour. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(11), 1899–1916. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01681-y. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01681-y
Yao, K., He, K., & Zhang, C. (2025). Leveraging credamo for efficient data collection: functional introductions and cross-field applications in academic and commercial settings. Journal of Applied Business & Behavioral Sciences, 1(2), 232-255. https://doi.org/10.63522/jabbs.102012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.63522/jabbs.102012
Zhang, Y., & Zhang, T. (2022). The effect of blind box product uncertainty on consumers’ purchase intention: The mediating role of perceived value and the moderating role of purchase intention. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 946527. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.946527. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.946527
Zhou, L., Mu, J., & Yang, C. (2025). The dual-driven mechanism of “value and need” influencing consumers’ continuous purchase behavior in blind box consumption. Sustainability, 17(18), 8452. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17188452. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su17188452
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Siyuan Wei, Yusong Xu, Yingjie Li, Taiyang Zhao (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
