Uncomfortably off: Why Higher-Income Earners Should Care About Inequality

Would you consider yourself as ‘comfortable’ or ‘a high-income earner’? Or neither? Why do those earning the most struggle to recognise themselves at the top of the income distribution and why are so many fearful about their future, their family’s and society’s? In current debates, attention is often focused on the very wealthiest’s capacity to influence politics and shape society. However, the top 10%, while more precariously placed (increasingly likely to move down than to ever reach the top 1%), are the leaders of institutions that drive politics, the public conversation and much of the private sector. They include managers and professionals, MPs and the top echelons of government, the media, business, the third sector, political parties and academia.

If Britain is to become less divisive, these are the people that need to be persuaded that it is in their interest to use their ubiquity and influence in playing a vital role in reducing inequality.