Research On The Sense Of Justice Of Chinese Urban Residents From The Perspective Of Relative Deprivation Theory

Based on CGSS2013 data and data from the Social Structure of Megacities in the New Era Survey,this article analyzes the effects of comparative perception on the sense of fairness of urban residents under guidance of relative deprivation theory.Specifically,the comparative perception is divided into three parts:“vertical flow perception”,“horizontal comparison perception” and “social mobility perception”.The effects of these three perceptions on fairness are analyzed.In addition,this article introduces the notion of “subjective class identity”as a conditional variable,whose moderating role is analyzed in the term of“vertical flow perception”,“horizontal comparison perception” and “social mobility perception”.At the same time,this article also tests whether control variables such as gender,age,income,and political appearance have an impact on equity.Having combined both qualitative and quantitative research methods,this paper consists of text analysis,descriptive analysis,correlation analysis and Multinomial Logistic Regression.The study found that the effect of “vertical flow perception” on fairness is not obvious,while “horizontal social comparison” and “social mobility perception”have different degrees of impact on equity.That is to say,the impact of the comparison with others on the individual’s sense of fairness is stronger than that of his own experience.Specifically,urban residents who think that their current class status is higher than their original family are more in favor of social equity.Urban residents with lower socioeconomic status than their peers are more likely to make social unfair judgments.This conclusion confirms the correctness of equity theory.Urban residents who agree more with a higher mobility rate in society have a stronger sense of fairness.The introduction of “subjective class identity” found that for respondents with higher subjective identity,vertical upward mobility can significantly enhance their sense of fairness,this conclusion supports the self-interest theory.For urban residents who believe that their social and economic status is higher than their peers,the higher their subjective class status,the stronger the unfairness.Based on the above research conclusions,this article puts forward the following three suggestions: Firstly,improve the people’s living standards and enhance their vertical flow perception and class identity by achieving individual upward mobility.Secondly,optimize the institutional structure,promote the fair distribution of social resources among all classes,improve the social security system and strengthen the construction of social psychological service systems,it can reduce people’s relative deprivation and improve people’s sense of fairness.Resident individuals should choose a suitable reference group according to their economic conditions,maintain a well-balanced psychological state.Thirdly,promote the possibility of social class mobility,guarantee basic competitive opportunities such as providing life security,legal protection and basic education,and rationally allocate competitive opportunities such as ensure fair procedures and strengthen social supervision.