Austin J. P. Ferolino
The present study explored on how people with low socioeconomic status (SES) respond to economic inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic from an intergroup perspective. In particular, this study is situated within the assumptions of the Social Identity Approach and the Intergroup Helping as Status Relations model, which aims to examine how low-SES people’s help-seeking behaviors (dependency-oriented or autonomy-oriented help) are influenced by their perceptions of the social structure (permeability of group boundaries and legitimacy of status differences). Self-report data were collected from 327 working adults who belong to lower SES groups in the Philippines. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis. Results revealed that participants who reported lower levels of perceived permeability of the group boundaries (i.e., lower possibility of attaining higher SES) and higher levels of perceived legitimacy of the status differences (i.e., the rich-poor gap seen as fair) were more likely to seek dependency-oriented help (i.e., immediately benefits the recipient but enhances reliance on the helper in the future). In contrast, those who reported higher levels of perceived permeability and lower levels of perceived legitimacy were more likely to seek autonomy-oriented help (i.e., empowers the recipient by enhancing the recipient’s efficacy to behave independently in the future). © Associação Brasileira de Psicologia 2023.
Department of Psychology, University of San Carlos (USC)—Talamban Campus, Nasipit road, Cebu, Cebu City, 6000, Philippines
