Poverty and Prejudice
Evidence From Myanmar
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10071602 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Constant Courtin (University of British Columbia), Gareth Nellis (0000-0002-8620-8640, University of California San Diego, corresponding author), Mike Weaver (0000-0001-6344-1274, University of British Columbia), Michael Weaver (0000-0002-1289-5484, University of British Columbia) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 70 |
| Issue | 7-8 |
| Pages | 1442-1473 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-12 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Conflict Resolution (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-0027 • E-ISSN: 1552-8766 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00220027251411537 |
| OpenAlex | W7128674395 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 44 |
Does poverty drive prejudice? We study this question in Myanmar, a deeply divided society where anti-Muslim sentiment surged during a partial democratic transition in the mid-2010s. Drawing on theories of economic competition and scapegoating, we test whether material hardship predicts exclusionary attitudes using new data from a nationally representative survey of 22,000 adults belonging to the majority Buddhist group. We find a large and consistent association: both poorer individuals and poorer townships are more likely to express Islamophobia. This relationship persists when leveraging a plausibly exogenous income shock caused by severe flooding. Poverty is more predictive of anti-Muslim sentiment than key alternative explanations for intergroup animus. It also correlates with hostility toward other minorities (Hindus and Indians), indicating that poverty is tied to a more general tendency to denigrate outgroups. Our findings shed light on the economic foundations of polarized social preferences and may help identify communities at heightened risk of ethnoreligious conflict
Competition (biology · Culture of poverty · Democracy · Hostility · Poverty · Shock (circulatory · Survey data collection · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies
A Colonial Economy in Crisis
Physiology and Neurobiology of Stress and Adaptation
Flood exposure and poverty in 188 countries
Measuring and Bounding Experimenter Demand
Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function
Private Truths, Public Lies
Buddhist Islamophobia
In the Name of the Nation
Propaganda and Conflict
Brokers, Voters, and Clientelism
Climate and Conflict
Misperceived Social Norms
Aiding Violence
The security dilemma and ethnic conflict
Economic Shocks and Civil Conflict
Bowling for Fascism
Religious minorities in Myanmar—Hints of the shadow
Myanmar’s Rohingya Genocide
Public Attitudes Toward Immigration
What the Demolition of Public Housing Teaches Us about the Impact of Racial Threat on Political Behavior
Poverty and Support for Militant Politics
Theravada Buddhism and Buddhist Nationalism
Alienation, Discrimination, and Securitization
Austerity and the Rise of the Nazi Party
Protecting Buddhist Women from Muslim Men
Specification curve analysis
The Buddha was a devoted nationalist
Ethnic Cleansing
Can War Foster Cooperation
Introduction
Reconciling Contradictions
The Political Salience of Cultural Difference
When to Worry about Sensitivity Bias
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |