Predicting Support for Eliminating the Dividend Tax: The Role of Framing and Attributions for Wealth

The proposed elimination of the dividend tax was among the most debated aspects of the Bush administration's economic stimulus package. Both the fairness of the initiative and who would benefit from it were questioned. Drawing on the political rhetoric of these debates, 86 respondents completed materials assessing the effects of framing and attributions for wealth on support for eliminating the dividend tax. The participants were less supportive of eliminating the dividend tax when it was framed as benefiting the wealthy than when the initiative was framed as benefiting the general public. Attributing wealth to personal initiative and "warm" feelings toward the wealthy emerged as the most powerful predictors of supporting the tax's elimination. Implications for social policy and economic justice are discussed.