This paper examines support for reducinginequality and for income redistribution to specific groupsin Europe and Central Asia. The paper uses the Life inTransition Survey to analyze cross-country differences inredistributive preferences and the determinants ofindividual-level differences in such preferences. Theanalysis tests for various possible motivations, such asself-interest, beliefs about the fairness of theincome-generating process, past social mobility experience,or expectations of future social mobility. Fewer peoplewanted to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor in2010 than in 2006 in transition countries. Support forredistribution toward specific groups is highest for thedisabled and the elderly, but there is high heterogeneityacross countries in support for various redistributivepolicies, as well as in the alignment between averagebeliefs and actual policies. The empirical analysis confirmsthe importance of beliefs about fairness in influencingredistributive preferences, together with self-interest andpast and expected social mobility in European Union memberstates (Western European and new member states), but only toa limited extent in the non-European Union member stategroup of transition countries. Regarding redistribution tospecific groups, self-interest appears to be an importantmotivation for support for the elderly and families withchildren, whereas values and beliefs are important driversof support for the working poor and the unemployed. Althoughframing matters, the results are broadly robust toalternative measures of support for reducing inequality.
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