Smart greedy happy liars: Yes rich people, they’re talking about you

New research out of the US says people admire the rich but also think they’re greedy and dishonest.

The Pew Research Center carried out a survey of 2508 American adults in July to come up with a series of findings that show average Joes and Joannes have a bit of a love-hate relationship when it comes to the wealthy.

On the one hand, survey respondents think rich people are more likely to be intelligent and more likely to be hard working. On the other, they think rich people are also more likely to be avaricious and economical with the truth.

“In 1926 F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote that the rich are ‘different from you and me.’ His observation may still ring true today. About four-in-ten adults (43 per cent) say that rich people are more likely than average Americans to be intelligent, while 8 per cent say rich people are less likely than average Americans to be intelligent, and 50 per cent have no opinion on the matter,” the survey finds.

“On the negative side, more than half of all adults (55 per cent) say rich people are more likely than the average person to be greedy. Only 9 per cent say they are less likely to be greedy. The remaining 36 per cent have no opinion. About one-third of the public (34 per cent) says the rich are less likely than average people to be honest. Only 12 per cent say they are more likely to be honest, and 54 per cent have no opinion on this.”

Among other findings:

• 58 per cent of Americans think the wealthy don’t pay enough tax, including 52 per cent of upper income respondents.
• 65 per cent think the gap between rich and poor has grown in the past decade and most say this is a bad thing.
• The wealthy people are the more likely they are to feel satisfied with the job, less stressed out and happier with their life overall.
• 40 per cent of upper class American adults say they are in better financial shape than before the US economy tanked in 2007.
• Upper-class adults are more likely than lower- or middle-class adults to have experienced increased economic mobility during their life.

”The widespread sense of well-being among upper-class adults extends beyond their financial lives. When compared with middle- and lower-class adults, they are more likely to say they are making progress in their careers, and those who are employed are more satisfied with their jobs,” Pew’s researchers find.

“Among those who are not retired, 84 per cent of upper-class adults say they are making progress in their careers. This compares with 76 per cent of non-retired middle-class adults and 54 per cent of those in the lower class.”

Pew has much more, including details of how perceptions of the wealth and wellbeing pan out across political party lines.

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