Deprivation drives Germans right, Americans left
Deprivation and authoritarian traits push Germans towards far-right politics but Americans towards far-left.
Why it matters
- Shows how psychological factors influence political preferences differently based on national context.
- Highlights the role of the welfare state in shaping political attitudes.
By the numbers
- 3 studies, with sample sizes of 503, 601, and 626 participants.
- In Germany, deprivation and RWA predict far-right sympathy.
- In the US, deprivation predicts far-left attitudes, with RWA buffering this effect.
The big picture
- National context and social structures significantly influence how psychological factors shape political preferences.
- Welfare state differences may explain divergent political responses to deprivation.
What they're saying
- Some skepticism about the comparability of left and right labels across countries.
- Commenters suggest subgroup analyses might yield different results.
Caveats
- New deprivation measurement tool might influence responses.
- Study is correlational, not causal.
What’s next
- Develop deprivation measures independent of state expectations.