“Center bias” is lower in more unequal local contexts
研究了当地收入不平等如何影响人们误以为自己处于全国收入分配中间位置的“中心偏差”，发现不平等程度越高，这种偏差越低，支持了“暴露”机制。
We examine the relationship between local income inequality and people’s misperception that they are in the middle of the national income distribution (“center bias”). Local contexts shape perceptions of inequality by influencing the availability of opportunities for upward and downward social comparisons. Four mechanisms could link local inequality to perceptions of one’s relative income position: exposure versus segregation and contrast versus assimilation. We supplement geo-referenced survey data with context information and show that higher local inequality is associated with lower “center bias” (“exposure” mechanism). There is no clear evidence that respondents feel richer in richer contexts (“assimilation” mechanism).