TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Marchesi, Daniele
AU  - Angelini, Viola
AU  - Nikolova, Milena
AU  - Popova, Olga
        TI  - Early-Life Adversity and Preferences for Redistribution: A Global Perspective
        PY  - 2026/May/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 18622
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp18622
        AB  - We are the first to examine how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) influence the support for  redistribution in adulthood. Using data from the 2022-2024 wave of the Global Flourishing Study on over 160,000 individuals from 22 countries, we construct measures of ACEs based on retrospective information on parental relationships, abuse, health, and household finances while growing up. We document cross-country variation in both ACE prevalence and redistributive preferences between high-income and low- and middle-income countries. Specifically, exposure to ACEs is associated with stronger support for redistribution only in high-income countries, suggesting that the relationship between early-life adversity and economic preferences is context-dependent. We explore several mechanisms that underpin our relationship. We find evidence for a material self-interest channel, whereby childhood adversity lowers adult income and increases demand for government support. Yet, this mechanism explains only a small part of the total association, suggesting that alternative pathways drive the relationship. Overall, the results show that early-life adversity is a previously overlooked and context-dependent determinant of redistributive preferences.
        KW  - preferences for redistribution
KW  - adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
KW  - early-life conditions
KW  - inequality attitudes
KW  - Global Flourishing Study
        ER  -