MEASURING PERCEIVED INEQUALITY THROUGH MULTILEVEL PSYCHOLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS

Abstract

Perceived inequality how individuals and groups personally experience and judge disparities in resources, treatment, and chances has recently gained attention as a powerful psychological factor shaping everything from group solidarity to well-being and public participation. Scholarly emphasis has moved from cataloging established quantitative markers—most notably income Gini coefficients—to investigating the subjective horizons through which those markers are interpreted. This article advances a multilevel psychological framework specifically oriented to unpack perceived inequality as it unfolds through individuals, aggregate social segments, and the broader symbolic order. By integrating rigorously calibrated psychometric tools, standardized contextual controls, and sophisticated multilevel analytical frameworks, the present study clarifies how stable belief structures and transient situational triggers coactivate to shape perceptual modulation. Extensive cross-domain empirical triangulation, spanning varied sociocultural, economic, and political constellations, undergirds the formulation of praxis-oriented, evidence-grounded directives for policymakers, mental health practitioners, and empirical social researchers who strive to attenuate the deleterious momentum of inequality on subjective well-being and on the integrity of collective social fabric.