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Previous studies have shown that economic inequality is associated with macrosocial outcomes and psychological processes. However, the role of economic inequality in social cognition is poorly understood. In this article, we propose that perceived economic inequality increases social vigilance. Three experiments were conducted to examine this idea by manipulating the perception of economic inequality. The results revealed that participants in high-inequality environments exhibited higher levels of social vigilance than in low-inequality environments. Furthermore, perceived competition could mediate the link between economic inequality and social vigilance (Experiments 2–3). The findings expand the literature regarding the effect of economic inequality on social cognition and help people better understand the consequences of economic inequality. Keywords: economic inequality, social vigilance, perceived competition, social cognition How to Cite: Cheng, L., Hao, M., & Wang, F. (2021). Beware of the ‘Bad Guys’: Economic Inequality, Perceived Competition, and Social Vigilance. International Review of Social Psychology, 34(1), 9. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/irsp.497 Handling Editor: Rosa Rodriguez-Bailon University of Granada, ES X close 428 Views 124 Downloads 5 Twitter   Published on 26 Apr 2021 Peer Reviewed  CC BY 4.0  Accepted on 24 Mar 2021            Submitted on 17 Aug 2020 Introduction In recent decades, as wealth disparities have increased around the world, economic inequality has deeply concerned social scientists. Ample evidence shows that economic inequality is associated with a series of social problems, such as poorer health (e.g., Kawachi & Kennedy, 1999; Layte & Whelan, 2014; Pickett & Wilkinson, 2015), lower levels of civic participation (e.g., Lancee & van de Werfhorst, 2012; Uslaner & Brown, 2005), higher crime rates (e.g., Choe, 2008; Hsieh & Pugh, 1993), and increased school bullying (e.g., Elgar et al., 2009; Elgar et al., 2013). In addition to these macro social outcomes, an increasing number of studies also explore the relationship between economic inequality and psychosocial processes. For example, people in regions with high economic inequality show stronger risk preference (Payne et al., 2017) and seek positional goods (e.g., designer brands, luxury clothing) more frequently (Walasek & Brown, 2015, 2016). However, our knowledge about the association between economic inequality and social cognition remains relatively poor. In the current research, we aim to investigate how economic inequality as a social-environmental factor promotes social vigilance.

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