Income misperception and populism

Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-321696
  • We propose that false beliefs about own current economic status are an important factor for explaining populist attitudes. Eliciting subjects’ receptiveness to rightwing populism and their perceived relative income positions in a representative survey of German households, we find that people with pessimistic beliefs about their income position are more attuned to populist statements. Key to understanding the misperception-populism relationship are strong gender differences in the mechanism: men are much more likely to channel their discontentWe propose that false beliefs about own current economic status are an important factor for explaining populist attitudes. Eliciting subjects’ receptiveness to rightwing populism and their perceived relative income positions in a representative survey of German households, we find that people with pessimistic beliefs about their income position are more attuned to populist statements. Key to understanding the misperception-populism relationship are strong gender differences in the mechanism: men are much more likely to channel their discontent into affection for populist ideas. A simple information provision does neither sustainably reduce misperception nor curb populism.show moreshow less

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Author: Thilo N. H. Albers, Felix Kersting, Fabian Kosse
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-321696
Document Type:Working Paper
Faculties:Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät / Volkswirtschaftliches Institut
Language:English
Year of Completion:2023
Series (Serial Number):Würzburg Economic Papers (W. E. P.) (104)
Pagenumber:38
DOI:https://doi.org/10.25972/OPUS-32169
Dewey Decimal Classification:3 Sozialwissenschaften / 30 Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie / 303 Gesellschaftliche Prozesse
3 Sozialwissenschaften / 33 Wirtschaft / 338 Produktion
GND Keyword:Populismus
Tag:Income; Perception; Populism
JEL-Classification:D Microeconomics / D6 Welfare Economics / D63 Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
D Microeconomics / D7 Analysis of Collective Decision-Making / D72 Models of Political Processes: Rent-Seeking, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
D Microeconomics / D9 Intertemporal Choice and Growth / D91 Intertemporal Consumer Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
P Economic Systems / P1 Capitalist Systems / P16 Political Economy
Release Date:2023/08/16
Licence (German):License LogoDeutsches Urheberrecht