Welcome

Economic inequality is on the rise and has gained momentum in the political debate. However, despite heavy political rhetoric, i.e. Obama calling inequality “the defining challenge of our time”, little political action has been taken to counter the trend and the general public displays little appetite for more redistribution. This is insofar puzzling as the political economy models would predict otherwise.

In this project, we focus on the perception of inequality and analyse the effects of these perceptions on political preferences and behaviour. Understanding this link is of utmost importance because the political impact of inequality is mediated by how people perceive and appraise this phenomenon. Importantly, to get at the core of the puzzle, it is crucial to focus on two potential sources of the mismatch: Citizens and political elites. For citizens, the perception of economic inequality influences not only their demand for redistribution but impacts also their political behaviour, i.e. their vote choice later on. For political elites, the perception of inequality is crucial in determining the political action they might take against it.

The project argues that the link between inequality perceptions and political action is more complex than previously thought and established the causal chain in detail. The (more or less correct) perception of inequality is followed by a judgment phase where citizen decide whether to see inequality as justified and fair or not. Only after making an attribution, i.e. linking inequality and political actors comes the implication phase where political action is at stake. A similar chain is theorized for elites where also a judgment phase comes before political action can be expected. The central notion of this project is that people are not only uninformed about the current level of inequality but that their perceptions are systematically distorted and that these biases are based on partisan preferences and ideology. In consequence, political outcomes could be different with more correct perceptions of inequality.

Three research pillars are proposed to tackle the questions at hand. First, cross-national surveys (ISSP and ESS) are harnessed to get a first glimpse at how politically coloured perceptions of inequality are and how they are linked to political preferences. Second, an online survey will be carried out in five countries to get more detailed information about perceptions, judgments and attribution of inequality as well as about party preferences, ideological positioning and political participation. With the help of experimental treatments (information, accountability and system justification) the main mechanisms are teased out. In a third research pillar the political elites, in particular public officials, are studied with the help of an online survey, again in 5 countries. We are interested in their perceptions and their judgment of inequality as well as their information-seeking strategies, tested again with the help of experimental treatments.

In sum, the project is pioneering as it sheds light on the fundamental role of (mis-)perceptions for political decision-making and how distortions impact political beliefs and actions. The findings of the project have implications not only for our understanding of the politics of inequality but also for the way we see the role of citizens and political elites in the political process.