A culture of despair represents a negative feedback loop, where perceptions of high economic inequality result in declines in expectations of future success and, in turn, lower probabilities of favorable outcomes. We focus on the first link in that proposed causal chain, the relationship between economic inequality and expectations. Using a panel of youths and geographic variation in inequality, we find a link between inequality and expectations regarding educational outcomes. Our findings show that youth of low socioeconomic status (SES) are negatively affected by inequality. In short, we find support for the theory of a culture of despair.

中文翻译：

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绝望的文化？不平等和教育成功的期望

绝望的文化代表了一种负反馈循环，在这种循环中，对高度经济不平等的看法导致对未来成功的预期下降，反过来，有利结果的可能性降低。我们关注该因果链中的第一个环节，即经济不平等与预期之间的关系。使用一组年轻人和不平等的地域差异，我们发现不平等与教育成果的期望之间存在联系。我们的研究结果表明，社会经济地位低的青年 (SES) 受到不平等的负面影响。简而言之，我们找到了对绝望文化理论的支持。