Name: How economic inequality harms societies
Uploaded: 2011-10-24T15:05:36Z
Duration: 16 min 37 s
Description: We feel instinctively that societies with huge income gaps are somehow going wrong. Richard Wilkinson charts the hard data on economic inequality, and shows what gets worse when rich and poor are too far apart: real effects on health, lifespan, even such basic values as trust.

We feel instinctively that societies with huge income gaps are somehow going wrong. Richard Wilkinson charts the hard data on economic inequality, and shows what gets worse when rich and poor are too far apart: real effects on health, lifespan, even such basic values as trust.

How economic inequality harms societies

Societies with wider gaps between rich and poor face far worse health, violence, and trust issues than their more equal counterparts. In countries where the richest 20 percent earn eight times more than the poorest 20 percent, trust falls to just 15 percent and mental illness rates triple. These patterns hold across wealthy nations and even within US states, where high inequality means more prisoners, higher homicide rates, and lower social mobility. Ultimately, it is not national wealth but the size of income gaps that shapes social health and stability.

Greater Inequality Destroys Trust And Social Well-Being

*The Spirit Level*

Since the Talk: How inequality harms society

What does inequality do to our bodies and minds?

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TED Stage Talk

Richard Wilkinson: How economic inequality harms societies