Declining Beliefs in Meritocracy? Changes in Americans’ Work Attitudes from Pre to Post Covid-19
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24212823 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Song Yang (0000-0002-6712-3991, University of Arkansas), Qingyang Zhang (0000-0001-6076-4764, University of Arkansas), Alexia Angton (0000-0001-8038-3328, University of Arkansas) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-17 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-05 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociological Focus (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0038-0237 • E-ISSN: 2162-1128 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00380237.2026.2724422 |
| OpenAlex | W7220378419 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
This research investigates the temporal changes and individual variabilities in general beliefs in meritocracy in the wake of one the worst social disruptions: the COVID-19 pandemic. Using two panels of the General Social Survey (GSS) from 2018 and 2022, we found that American beliefs in meritocracy experienced an appreciable decline in post- the COVID year of 2022 compared with its pre-COVID level in 2018. We further broke down our samples into six gender and racial intersectional groups and compared them in their respective levels of beliefs in meritocracy. All six intersectional groups experienced a decline in beliefs in meritocracy in 2022 compared with 2018. Cross-sectional comparisons reveal that women were more likely to believe in meritocracy than men. We discuss implications of our findings for future studies.
American public opinion · COVID-19 pandemic · gender differences · Meritocracy · work attitudes · Cultural Differences and Values · Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies · Social Capital and Networks
Untangling the tolerance of socioeconomic inequality
Subjective Inequality
Temporal change in inequality perceptions and effects on political attitudes
Changing perceptions of meritocracy in senior women's careers
Learning about inequality in unequal America
Perceptions of meritocracy in the land of opportunity
Achievement or Ascription Ideology? An Analysis of Attitudes about Future Success for Residents in Poor Urban Neighborhoods
Racial and Ethnic Variations in Gender-Related Attitudes
Meritocracy and the Singapore Political System
False Consciousness or Class Awareness? Local Income Inequality, Personal Economic Position, and Belief in American Meritocracy
Men's and Women's Consciousness of Gender Inequality
African American, Hispanic, and White Beliefs about Black/White Inequality, 1977-2004
The paradox of inequality
Feminist Attitudes and Support for Gender Equality
Perceiving Glass Ceilings? Meritocratic versus Structural Explanations of Gender Inequality among Women in Science and Technology
How Meritocracy is Defined Today
Morale and Workplace Performance
Systems of Distribution and a Sense of Equity
Gender, Race, and Meritocracy in Organizational Careers
Institutionalized Organizations
The paradox of de-coupling
Mind the Income Gaps? Experimental Evidence of Information's Lasting Effect on Redistributive Preferences
Two Decades of Value Change
| Highly cited | No |
|---|