Study finds powerful people are blamed more quickly for unclear wrongdoing
Researchers conducted four studies, including an analysis of nearly 100,000 Reddit conflicts, and found that people in power are more likely to be seen as culprits when a mistake occurs and the perpetrator is unknown. This is because others believe they can get away with anything. The findings are published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
The research team, led by social psychologist Gerben van Kleef, tested competing hypotheses about whether power shields or exposes people to blame. In controlled experiments, participants consistently identified high-status figures—whether a "boss" in a dice game or a finance director in a fraud scenario—as the likely wrongdoer, even when all parties had equal access to the relevant systems.
The Reddit analysis, examining nearly 100,000 posts on "Am I the Asshole?", showed that people in higher power positions were roughly twice as likely to be judged at fault across various conflict types, from workplace disputes to personal disagreements. The researchers linked this tendency to a perception of impunity—observers assume powerful individuals believe they can act without consequences, which fuels suspicion.
The findings suggest power may function as a double-edged sword in accountability contexts. Leaders and managers could face disproportionate suspicion when problems arise, potentially affecting workplace dynamics, public trust in institutions, and investigations where culpability is ambiguous. Conversely, this bias might serve as an informal check on power, though it risks unfairly targeting innocent authority figures. The research could inform how organizations structure misconduct investigations and how media frames stories involving powerful individuals, encouraging more careful consideration of evidence before assigning blame.