Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/267410 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 15673
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
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.
Subjects: 
perception
income
populism
JEL: 
D63
D72
D91
P16
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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