A growth mindset can boost support for increasing the minimum wage

Publication Type

Magazine Article

Publication Date

11-2023

Abstract

In the U.S., the value of the federal minimum wage has declined to record lows due to rising inflation. Recent research sheds light on a new factor that may contribute to people’s opinions for or against raising the minimum wage: a growth vs. fixed mindset. The authors hypothesized that decision-makers’ mindsets about intelligence — specifically the belief that abilities are stable (i.e., a fixed mindset) rather than the belief that abilities can grow and develop over time (i.e., a growth mindset) — might contribute to people’s opposition to increasing low-wage workers’ compensation. This held true in correlational and experimental studies, and this pattern held among those who identified as “liberal” or “conservative,” as well as across the social class and income spectrum. While mindsets are just one of the many systemic and psychological factors that contribute to support for or against raising the minimum wage, these findings suggest that grassroots advocates, managers, and business and political leaders seeking support for increasing low-wage workers’ wages may want to consider invoking the growth mindset about intelligence.

Keywords

low wage, mindset, fixed growth, minimum wage, political orientation

Discipline

Organizational Behavior and Theory

Research Areas

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources

Publication

Harvard Business Review

ISSN

0017-8012

Publisher

Harvard Business Review

Additional URL

https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/H07V7O-PDF-ENG

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS