They are actually getting exactly what they want unfortunately. It’s a fairly well documented phenomenon, and I admit I used the gpts to hunt for the study so apologies for the slop forth coming but the studies are real -
A classic, directly on point study is:
Tajfel, H., Billig, M., Bundy, R., & Flament, C. (1971). “Experiments in Intergroup Discrimination.”
In these “minimal group” experiments, people randomly split into trivial groups repeatedly chose allocations that reduced their own group’s absolute payoff as long as it increased their advantage over the out-group. In other words, participants accepted worse outcomes for themselves to ensure the disliked/other group got it even worse. https://ia902305.us.archive.org/23/items/15341_Readings/1534...
If you want an economics variant showing the same logic at the individual level:
• Zizzo & Oswald (2001), “Are People Willing to Pay to Reduce Others’ Incomes?” Participants literally paid to “burn” others’ money—taking a loss themselves to make others worse off.
I wonder if this applies the other way too, like how people care more that billionaire wealth outpaces their own despite their standard of living steadily marching up?
A classic, directly on point study is:
Tajfel, H., Billig, M., Bundy, R., & Flament, C. (1971). “Experiments in Intergroup Discrimination.” In these “minimal group” experiments, people randomly split into trivial groups repeatedly chose allocations that reduced their own group’s absolute payoff as long as it increased their advantage over the out-group. In other words, participants accepted worse outcomes for themselves to ensure the disliked/other group got it even worse. https://ia902305.us.archive.org/23/items/15341_Readings/1534...
If you want an economics variant showing the same logic at the individual level: • Zizzo & Oswald (2001), “Are People Willing to Pay to Reduce Others’ Incomes?” Participants literally paid to “burn” others’ money—taking a loss themselves to make others worse off.
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/ajoswald/final...
As long as whoever they’ve been told is the outgroup, and that group is getting hurt, they will literally pay for that out of their own lives .