Gloomy prospects? Perceptions of inequality and their political implications

This talk will showcase recent research on the importance of subjective perceptions of inequality and their linkages to policy preferences and political behavior. In a first step, I will discuss commonly found biases in subjective perceptions of inequality such as the ‚centrist bias‘, biased perceptions of richness and affluence as well as overly pessimistic perceptions of long-term trends in inequality. In a second step, I will show to what extent theses biases are relevant for the formation of preferences and political attitudes. Here, it is of particular importance to highlight the role of subjective perceptions relative to objective reality. As empirical foundation, the talk relies on novel survey data from ongoing research projects at the Konstanz Cluster of Excellence on the „Politics of Inequality“. To preview some major findings and take-aways, we find that subjective perceptions of inequality are systematically linked to individual partisan ideology, that perceptions can influence individual willingness to support future-oriented social investment policies and that perceptions may drive support for right-wing populism.

Marius Busemeyer is a Full Professor of Political Science at the University of Konstanz. His research focuses on comparative political economy and welfare state research, education and social policy, public spending, theories of institutional change and, more recently, public opinion on the welfare state.

Please note that this event takes place in English only with no translation.

The event is part of the WZB Talks series.