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The research team, which included psychology professors Paul Piff at U.C. Irvine and Azim Shariff at the University of British Columbia, began with two studies designed to assess Americans' attitudes to the rich. Six hundred randomly selected adults were asked to rate two groups: the "born rich," who had inherited their wealth, and the "became rich," who had earned it. Which group would be more likely to attribute poverty to external circumstances, for example, or feel empathy toward the poor?

The results showed that people considered the "became rich" more likable and also expected them to be more supportive of the less fortunate. A second set of studies, however, found that these attitudes aren't in line with reality. This time the research group recruited 1,000 people whose earnings were in America's top quintile, or more than $142,500 a year. The researchers then sorted this sample into two camps, the "born rich" and the "became rich," by parsing their financial histories on a questionnaire.

Both groups were then asked to rate themselves on statements like "I demand the best because I'm worth it," "I sometimes feel guilty about how much money I have compared to others," and "In the U.S., it is difficult to improve one's socioeconomic conditions." In tabulating their answers, the researchers discovered that people who inherited their wealth were more likely to sympathize with those living in poverty and also more likely to support policies that would give the poor a leg up.

It's the reverse of what one might expect. "People assume that those who had to climb the ladder better understand the struggle and therefore will be more sympathetic to the poor. Maybe they do understand, but the conclusion they come to is that it's actually less of a struggle and thus less sympathy is in order," said Prof. Shariff.

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