Abstract:
We study information-spillover effects in the elicitation of multidimensional beliefs using a representative survey of the German voting-age population. Respondents estimated government-spending levels across several domains (e.g., education, defense, social security), with randomized exposure to different informational anchors in one domain. Anchors significantly influence elicited beliefs in related domains and can also shift respondents' policy preferences. While the anchors change absolute estimates, perceived government-spending rankings remain stable.
