Tag: Warwick Business School

It is the largest jackpot in US history. The money could change a lot of things for the winner – including their political views. Research published in 2014 on lottery winners in the UK found that they became more right wing after their windfall. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey of more than 25,000 UK adults, the researchers followed changes in the political preferences of lottery winners from 1996 to 2009. Completing secondary education to age 18 nudged people along the political spectrum by nearly 4% to the right, compared with people who have no formal education, according to the survey data. And the greater the lottery win, the greater the shift to the right. Using the data on lottery winners suggests that having a lump sum of cash land in your bank account – whatever your background and prior beliefs – really does cause a significant shift in views. Studies in the US have also found that lottery winners are less likely to support the redistribution of wealth through taxes. An implication of the study is that people’s political beliefs are more fickle than some would like to think. You grow up and gain a strong political belief that won’t be shifted,” Powdthavee says.