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Research Article

Physical and situational inequality on airplanes predicts air rage

Katherine A. DeCelles and Michael I. Norton
  1. aOrganizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management Area, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3E6;
  2. bMarketing Unit, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA 02163

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PNAS May 17, 2016 113 (20) 5588-5591; first published May 2, 2016; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1521727113
Katherine A. DeCelles
aOrganizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management Area, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3E6;
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  • For correspondence: katy.decelles@rotman.utoronto.ca
Michael I. Norton
bMarketing Unit, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA 02163
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  1. Edited by Susan T. Fiske, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, and approved March 30, 2016 (received for review November 3, 2015)

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Significance

We suggest that physical and situational inequality are built into people’s everyday environments—such as the modern airplane—and that exposure to these forms of inequality can trigger antisocial behavior. Analyses reveal that air rage is more common in economy class on airplanes, where inequality is physically present, and in both economy and first class when inequality is situationally salient. We extend research demonstrating that the salience of inequality decreases prosocial behavior by higher class individuals, showing that temporary exposure to physical and situational inequality predicts antisocial behavior among individuals in both higher and lower classes. Moreover, we explore a novel predictor of inequality-induced antisocial behavior—the design of physical environments—augmenting research on macrostructural forms of inequality.

Abstract

We posit that the modern airplane is a social microcosm of class-based society, and that the increasing incidence of “air rage” can be understood through the lens of inequality. Research on inequality typically examines the effects of relatively fixed, macrostructural forms of inequality, such as socioeconomic status; we examine how temporary exposure to both physical and situational inequality, induced by the design of environments, can foster antisocial behavior. We use a complete set of all onboard air rage incidents over several years from a large, international airline to test our predictions. Physical inequality on airplanes—that is, the presence of a first class cabin—is associated with more frequent air rage incidents in economy class. Situational inequality—boarding from the front (requiring walking through the first class cabin) versus the middle of the plane—also significantly increases the odds of air rage in both economy and first class. We show that physical design that highlights inequality can trigger antisocial behavior on airplanes. More broadly, these results point to the importance of considering the design of environments—from airplanes to office layouts to stadium seating—in understanding both the form and emergence of antisocial behavior.

  • physical inequality
  • situational inequality
  • antisocial behavior
  • social class
  • air rage

Footnotes

  • ↵1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: katy.decelles{at}rotman.utoronto.ca.
  • Author contributions: K.A.D. collected the data; K.A.D. and M.I.N. designed research; K.A.D. and M.I.N. performed research; K.A.D. analyzed data; and K.A.D. and M.I.N. wrote the paper.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.

  • This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1521727113/-/DCSupplemental.

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Inequality on airplanes predicts air rage
Katherine A. DeCelles, Michael I. Norton
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 2016, 113 (20) 5588-5591; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1521727113

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Inequality on airplanes predicts air rage
Katherine A. DeCelles, Michael I. Norton
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 2016, 113 (20) 5588-5591; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1521727113
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This article has Letters. Please see:

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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: 113 (20)
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