Do highly educated individuals in Japan exhibit self-defensive responses to evidence of class privilege? An investigation using Bayes factors

Abstract

Research suggests that when exposed to evidence of their privilege, upper-class individuals exhibit self-defensive responses—such as claiming personal hardships—to mitigate threats to their self-regard and mask their privilege. However, these findings are based on studies in the U.S., and research in Japan among high-income individuals has yielded conflicting results. Therefore, this study investigates whether upper-class individuals—specifically those with high educational attainment—exhibit self-defensive responses to evidence of privilege in Japan. A sample of elite university students in Japan (N=157) was randomly assigned to either the privilege-exposure or control conditions and asked to evaluate their personal hardships and effort. Bayesian analyses revealed that even after controlling for meritocratic beliefs, which are considered a cultural difference between Japan and the U.S., the participants did not claim greater personal hardships or effort in response to evidence of their privilege. One possible interpretation is that upper-class individuals in Japan do not perceive their privilege as an inconvenient truth that necessitates concealment.