A survey by pollsters YouGov found that of the main parties only Conservative supporters were significantly more likely to care about economic growth than inequality.
Asked whether the government “should give priority to working for faster economic growth or reducing the gap between rich and poor” 50 per cent of voters said inequality was more important.
Meanwhile only 43 per cent said that economic growth should take priority.
The findings, which suggest strong support for redistribution, will complicate the debate about why Labour lost the last election.
Blairite former minister Lord Hutton last week accused Labour of presenting an “old-school socialist menu” to the electorate and said there was a “limited appetite” for such redistributive policies.
Labour leadership candidates have rushed to accommodate wealthy people in the Labour party and said it should not be hostile to “people who do well”.