Is it wrong to have too much money? Your answer may depend on deep-seated values – and your country’s economy

By: Jackson Trager, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 22, 2025

Words: 882

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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By Jackson Trager, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Across cultures, people often wrestle with whether having lots of money is a blessing, a burden or a moral problem. According to our new research, how someone views billionaires isn’t just about economics. Judgment also hinges on certain cultural and moral instincts, which helps explain why opinions about wealth are so polarized.

The study, which my colleague Mohammad Atari and I published …

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