Understanding Wealth

For all English speaking kids between 5 and 12 years of age.

Your child will view pictures of families with different levels of wealth. First, they will tell us why they think some families have more or less money and resources than others. Then, they will meet animal characters who offer different explanations for each family’s situation, and they will choose the explanation they think is best. For example, does the Green Family have a lot of money and nice things because of something about the world, something about them, or perhaps just by chance? Next, we’ll ask your child how fair they think it is that families have varying levels of wealth. Finally, they’ll answer questions about their own family’s wealth (e.g., compared to others in their neighborhood, do they think their family is more or less fortunate?) and share their thoughts on what their own wealth might look like when they grow up.

Every day, your child notices that people on the street, peers at school, or families in the neighborhood experience different things in their lives. Some of these differences are related to the amount of money and other resources these families have access to. As you know, these differences can result from various factors, including the jobs people have, their family connections, and sometimes simply luck. This study aims to deepen our understanding of how children perceive the social world they live in by exploring how they explain why resources are not shared equally among individuals and why some people earn more or have access to more resources than others.

20 minutes

After your child participates, we’ll email you a $5 (USD) Amazon.com gift card as a thank-you within a week after your participation. (One gift card per child; child must be in the age range for the study. Child must be visible in the consent video.)