Blame It on God? How Divine Attributions Legitimize Horizontal Inequalities and Shape Redistribution Preferences in Nigeria

Abstract

ABSTRACT While earlier research has analyzed how religious affiliations and practices impact support for group‐based (or "horizontal") redistribution, no study has yet investigated how divine attributions of group‐based or horizontal inequalities affect these redistributive attitudes. In this paper, we show that divine attributions of horizontal inequalities (i.e., the belief that horizontal inequalities were created by a supernatural force) reduce support for redistribution in Nigeria and theorize and empirically test two different mechanisms for explaining this association. Using survey data from over 2000 Nigerian respondents, we find that divine attributions of horizontal inequality are not primarily endorsed by the most religiously devout respondents. Instead, they are more common among individuals with stronger preferences for group‐based hierarchy, as measured by Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). We conclude that divine attributions of horizontal inequalities function less as expressions of personal religious beliefs than as ideological narratives deployed instrumentally to legitimize existing social hierarchies and resistance to redistribution.