Project Description

This project examined the connection between perceived inequality and support for populist parties, focusing on how individual perceptions of inequality, rather than objective income disparities, influence voter behaviour. By shifting the focus from macro-level economic inequalities to the subjective perceptions of individual voters, the project highlights a critical dimension often overlooked in existing research. In addition, a focus on perception can also encompass other inequalities next to income, like inequality in wealth or inequality in opportunities.

Research Questions

The project aimed to answer whether perceived inequality affects the support for populist parties in Denmark, Germany and Italy.

Research Approach

Using data from the International Social Survey Programme, we found that those who perceive greater inequality in society are more likely to support populist parties. To explore the causal relationship, the study also conducted a survey experiment in Denmark, Germany, and Italy, randomly exposing participants to factual information about the wealth distribution.

Relation to the Liberal Script

Rising inequalities have been described as a fertile ground for populist parties all over the globe. In this project, we examined whether the perception of inequality alone can strengthen populist attitudes and increase support for populist parties that pose a significant challenge to the liberal script.

Core Findings

The results show that the perception of inequality can increase populist attitudes, but does not immediately affect the likelihood of voting for populist parties. The findings speak to current debates on how inequality and their perception became a pre-condition for the rise of populist parties all over Europe.

Academic Innovations

The existing literature has so far focused solely on the influence of objective income inequality levels in a country and arrives at mixed findings. Citizen perceptions of inequality and actual inequality do not necessarily coincide and perceptions are potentially more relevant to explain electoral behaviour. This project contributes to the research of the factors that motivate support for populist parties in Europe.

Publications

Stoetzer, Lukas F. / Giesecke, Johannes / Klüver, Heike 2021: How does income inequality affect the support for populist parties?, Journal of European Public Policy, 30(1): 1-20.

Stoetzer, Lukas F. / Giesecke, Johannes / Klüver, Heike 2022: Perceived Inequality and Populism, OSF Preprints.