According to AJ Bell, "Just ten stocks are forecast to pay dividends worth £42.8 billion, or 54% of the forecast total for 2022. The top 20 are expected to generate 72% of the total index’s pay-out, at £57.3 billion."
This further adds evidence to the idea that certain companies directly cater to investors who want a dividend, and become known for their dividend. Once that is part of your identity, it's very hard to switch away from that. Which is why you get the dynamic where most of the dividends come from a small group of comapnies.
@nathanworden Well, it's one way to allocate capital by distributing it to shareholders. Shouldn't forget also that pension funds and mutual funds depend on these dividends as well.