Why people prefer unequal societies

Take away point. People don't care about economic inequality, they care about unfair situations. Everyone getting what they deserve based on the effort they put in, with equal effort meaning an equal split is fine, it's when people are perceived as in getting too much reward for their part of their work, or getting benefits for doing nothing, that people get upset.

That's not to say that's necessarily good ethics, I mean we have tons of cognitive biases that are potentially useful cognitive shortcuts, but end up leading to BS.

Of course, at some point, and it might already have happened, we'll have enough resources that nobody has to go without food, shelter, water, etc. Our intrinsic ideas about economic unfairness suggest that people who don't do anything don't deserve support, but most moral traditions teach charity, compassion for the poor, and so on.

And economically, we may all benefit overall if we provide enough resources to every person, in money or by other means. A lot of work goes into getting food, clothes, and shelter when one is poor. Plenty of unemployed or poor people would pursue more useful undertakings if they have the resources.

I wonder if there is a study that determines if people prefer proportional distribution of wealth, rather than equal/unequal.

In the equality studies, the wealth (e.g. candies) are presented as a fiat acompli, baising the respondents with the notion that equal effort was put in by all participants.

For me, the statement in the abstract is absolutely obvious. Who wants equality if it is unfair? That would be dystopian.