Relative deprivation (RD) is the judgment that one or one’s ingroup is worse off compared
with some relevant standard coupled with feelings of dissatisfaction, anger, and resentment.
RD predicts a wide range of outcomes, but it is unclear whether this relationship is moderated
by national cultural differences. Therefore, in the first study, we used national assessments of
individual-collectivism and power distance to code 303 effect sizes from 31 different countries
with 200,578 participants. RD predicted outcomes ranging from life satisfaction to collective
action more strongly within individualistic nations. A second survey of 6,112 undergraduate
university students from 28 different countries confirmed the predictive value of RD. Again, the
relationship between individual RD and different outcomes was stronger for students who lived
in more individualistic countries. Group-based RD also predicted political trust more strongly
for students who lived in countries marked by lower power distance. RD effects, although
consistent predictors, are culturally bounded. In particular, RD is more likely to motivate
reactions within individualistic countries that emphasize individual agency and achievement as a
source of self-worth.