Lookup column showing up properly when logged in as Full Control user, but not showing up properly when logged in as Contribute user

Question

I have a SharePoint 2010 form with a couple lookup columns. The form looks normal to me with Full Control permissions, and the dropdowns for these items are showing up normally on the form,

but when I log in as a different user with Contribute permissions the dropdown is blank and very small (maybe the width of one or two characters). See image.

I just added these today, and the problem started simultaneously. I'm sure it's a bug, but is there a way to get around it? Thanks.

Answer 1

In order to make a lookup column work for a user with contribute permission level on one list, that same user need to have at least read permission level on the list to lookup. Probably, this is a system list which is intended to be used for functionality rather than content. To save admins from unintended edits, the permission inheritance was broken on the lookup list.

Solution

On the lookup list, make sure that all users have read permission. This will ensure that users with read permission (and contribute permission) on the first list also see content from the lookup list.