PNAS published peer-reviewed research on July 24, 2026, documenting a social-class gap in negotiation. The study indicates that lower-class individuals negotiate less frequently than higher-class individuals and face greater backlash when they do negotiate.
The findings, released at 07:00 UTC, establish two primary aspects of the disparity. Lower-class individuals initiate negotiations at lower rates, and those who choose to negotiate encounter more negative reactions.
PNAS registered the study in its peer-reviewed journal under the digital object identifier 10.1073/pnas.2602128123.
