Income Misperception and Populism

Authors:

Albers, Thilo Nils Hendrik (HU Berlin)
Kersting, Felix (HU Berlin)
Kosse, Fabian (University of Würzburg)

Abstract:

We propose that false beliefs about the own current economic status are an important factor for explaining populist attitudes. Along with the subjects’ receptiveness to right-wing populism, we elicit 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: Misperception triggers income dissatisfaction for both men and women, but the former are much more likely to channel their discontent into affection for populist ideas.

Keywords:

perception; income; populism

JEL-Classification:

D63; D72; D91; P16

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Income Misperception and Populism
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